A Gift from the Dark
by Twilight Memories
Summary: She's like a gift from the dark to her, but when another mamodo attempts to steal the gift, what is to happen afterwards?
1. Prologue

_Hello peoples, I wanted to do another Brago/Sherry fic. Actually, I've had this idea for at leat a good two weeks, so I wanted to at least get the story up. I'm not going to update as frequently as the other story (Come Back To Me), so I'm just letting you all know._

_And also, This is going to be a short chapter because of,_

_1: It's a prologue, so... yeah_

_2: I couldn't think of an idea for a first chapter yet, so I made the prologue._

_So please remember that this is just a prologue, nothing important happens in this chapter. What? I had to get this started SOMEHOW..._

_Hope you like it!_

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Gift from the Dark

**Prologue**

It's been a long time since the battle for king. I think back to the days where me and my mamodo would travel just about everywhere and search for the other teams. But now, a lot has changed since then. My mamodo, whom used to be cruel and dark, has changed tremendously. Though I do have to admit, so have I.

Sherry Belmond was sitting in a chair in a room of her home. She was gazing out the window, and thinking about the past nine years. She was the age 24 now, and was married to someone she had loved from the start.

Although he was not human, and he was from a different world, Brago had become Sherry's love interest, and after the battle for king, the two stayed together.

The dark mamodo did not win the battle for king, but he almost did. In the final battle with Zatch Bell – a mamodo who could control and summon lightning – the two had lost to him. But being as benevolent as Zatch was, he let Brago stay behind with Sherry. The mamodo could travel between the two different worlds if he wanted, but he mostly stayed in the human world, so he'd always be close to Sherry.

The blonde sighed, and looked out the window. It was a rainy day, and Brago had gone fishing again – which was something he often did – to find something raw to eat. Sherry had tried to persuade him many times to try cooked food, but as stubborn as that mamodo was, he'd constantly refuse.

He always said that you would gain strength from the food if you ate it raw, but Sherry hated the taste of raw food that had just been killed. The only raw foods she ate were sushi and sashimi. But she did recall one day where she had to eat raw alligator…

Yes, she remembered the day so clearly. She was out exploring in the woods, looking for the enemy, when the two took a break. The blonde had requested a fish, but Brago ended up bringing an alligator. Only because he said "He's the one who stuck his fangs in my face."

But for Brago, that was normal. He would always get revenge on something if he thought it was necessary. Sherry had just rolled her eyes at him whenever he acted like that.

How fortunate it was for her, that she received help from the dark mamodo when her possessed friend, Koko, had tried to kill her. But Brago jumped in front of her friend's mamodo's attack, saving her life. And she was grateful for that.

Brago ended up saving her many times after that. But Sherry had also saved Brago. He had once been a cold hearted person with an empty heart, but Sherry warmed that heart of his and filled it with compassion.

The young woman smiled, and then she heard a small thump. She looked over and spotted something, which only made her smile even more. Sherry walked over to where a small crib lay, inside was a baby.

Kalu, that was the child's name. The woman smiled and noticed that the baby had rested her hand onto the wood of her crib, making the small tapping sound she heard.

Brushing a small patch of black hair away from the baby girl's eyes, Sherry thought about how much Kalu looked like her father. She had a pale skin color, but it wasn't as pallid as her father's. The girl also had small black designs on her cheeks, but not above her eyes…

A gift from the dark.

That's almost what Kalu was, a gift of joy, but from the dark. Yes, Kalu was the daughter of Sherry and Brago.

The baby stirred in her sleep, and Sherry watched as the little one breathed, her chest slowly rising and falling over and over again.

The young woman sighed and turned away to gaze out the window again, when she saw Brago walking up on the grounds. Turning around to check on her daughter one last time, the blonde then started to walk preparing to greet the dark mamodo.

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_Ta Da...! Ok, I'm sure it's not that good. I'll try and make better chapters, but this was just a prologue and an idea i had in mind, so enjoy!_

_Oh, read and review! And if you are going to flame... be nice!_

_Oh, and I do not own Zatch Bell! (I need to stop saying "oh"... XP)_


	2. A Normal Day

_Hello everybody! Back with another chappy!_

_OK, yes, I know, the chapter is pretty short, but until I find a good idea to get this REALLY started, the chapters will probably remain short. But until the chapters become longer (if they ever do), I still hope you enjoy the story!_

_And to let people know, this takes a few years after the prologue. Enjoy!_

_Also, I'm unsure of what is to come in this story. So until I think of something interesting to put in here, I'm leaving the category as general. The same goes for the rating. If necessary, I'll change them both._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Zatch Bell. If I did... well... let's just say I don't and end it there._

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Gift From the Dark

**Chapter 1**

**A Normal Day**

Sherry was walking through her town, looking for a new store that had just opened. She turned her head to the right, and then to the left. But she didn't see what she was looking for.

With an annoyed sigh she continued walking. The girl really wanted to see what the store had to sell, and she heard that it had a lot of good items there. This had sparked her attention, so she decided that she'd visit it today.

Walking along the path, the girl passed by two people. She managed to hear a small fragment of their conversation.

"Did you see those two back there?"

"Yeah, I've never seen people like them before."

Ah, well that last comment gave everything away. Turning around, the girl looked to see where the two bystanders came from. It was from the south of her. Yes, it was obviously Brago and Kalu. The two always seemed to draw attention to themselves without really meaning to.

But what could Sherry do about it? Brago was a mamodo and Kalu was half. The two looked similar to each other, but it was probably the eyes and pale skin that made them stand out.

Sherry then realized that she was standing in the middle of the sidewalk doing nothing, so she hurried along through the crowds to find the new shop.

o-o-o-o-o-

Two figures were seen walking through the street. One was a little girl about the age of 5, while the other was her father. The girl, whom was having a piggy-back-ride on the shoulders of her father, was resting her chin on the other's head.

The two looked very similar to each other. They both had cloudy eyes, but different colors. While Brago had red orbs, Kalu had purple. Both even had similar markings on their faces.

"Daddy, where'd Mamma go again?" Kalu always seemed to forget things, but it was mostly because she never paid attention.

"To some store." Brago said flatly. Without turning his head, he scanned the surrounding he was in. He could sense Sherry somewhere among the crowds.

"Oh."

The two continued on their way as they walked through the town (Or should I say Brago carrying Kalu through the town.).

After a few more minutes of walking, Kalu closed her eyes and gave a yawn. She reopened her eyes and raised her head. "Can we do something and not walk? Me bored." she finally said.

Brago didn't respond, but just continued walking. He'd be happy when Kalu reached an age where he could teach her to defend herself, but she was wouldn't bother to pay attention to what he said about it. The dark mamodo had tried to teach her a few things, but they never really worked out. But the girl did enjoy one thing, and that was climbing trees.

To most people, she seemed a little young to climb tall trees, but Kalu was different from most 5 year olds. She had received her ways from the mamodo blood within her.

And unaware the girl, she also had her own abilities, but she didn't have a book for it. Brago kept his book just for the heck of it, and also to be prepared just incase something ever happened. Sherry told him that nothing would, but he merely said to always be prepared for the unexpected battles that could arise.

"Dad," the little girl spoke again.

"What?"

"I'm bored."

Shaking his head, Brago just gave a sigh and stopped walking. "Well then, what is it we can do?"

"I want to go in the forest. Can we? Please?" The little girl looked down from her perch atop Brago's shoulders. "Pweese?"

Looking up to the girl's head which was hovering over his, Brago gave another sigh and just nodded his head. He continued to walk for a while until they reached the brink of the woods.

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_There's the end of chapter 1! Sorry for those who wanted it to be longer, but I'm probably going to take this story a little on the slow side, and I wanted to get chapter 1 up, and i couldnt think of much to do in it... :-(. Anywho... on to my reviewers!_

_**Blood of the Wolf: **Glad you like it! Well, here's the next chapter. Hopefully I can think of something for the 2nd sometime soon..._

_**SilverMoons BlackWings: **Actually, you know how I thought of the idea is that I wondered a very random thought, what if Sherry and Brago had a child? Weird/random thought there. But it started the story... XD_

_**PsychicLunar: **Glad you like it. So what was the internet doing anyways?_

_**Ali: **Yeah, so? But anyways, glad you like it!_

_**pyro the dark angel: **Well, here's chapter one. I doubt I'll have chapter 2 up anytime soon..._

_THANK YOU ALL REVIEWERS! Ha.. wow, I thought I'd only get about 2 on this story. Anyways, I'm glad all you peoples liked it!_

_Read and review! And if you are going to flame... be nice!_

_Oh, and I just got a random thought. Who's noticed that Brago has no eyebrows?_

_Brago: Are you insulting me?_

_Me: No... XD_

_Anyways, there's chapter 1!_


	3. The Pure Heart of a Little Girl

_Hello again! Yay, I finally got this chapter up! I couldn't think of an idea for it, so it took me a while. But then the other night I finally thought of something... eh, well, I hope it's good._

_Now... on with the next chapter!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Zatch Bell. If I did... well... let's just say I don't and end it there._

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Gift From the Dark

**Chapter 2**

**The Pure Heart of a Little Girl**

Brago watched as his daughter sat down in the grass and rubbed her eyes. She gave a yawn and flopped over onto her back.

A small smile played across his lips as he watched the younger one sit up again and look up at a tree next to her. How innocent she seemed… unaware of the things that have happened and what might. Unaware of what he was, or what she was…

Kalu still didn't know that she was half human and half mamodo. Sherry had told him that when the time was right, they would have to tell her. But at the moment… she was too young to comprehend such things.

Ignorance is bliss, they say.

The dark mamodo watched as Kalu began to climb up the large tree. She certainly was happy not knowing it all. But like Sherry said, one day she'd have to find out. Sooner or later she'd have to be told about what he and Kalu really were.

Brago shook his head. What was wrong with being a mamodo anyways? It wasn't _his_ fault that certain humans freaked out just because he and others weren't their kin. At least he wasn't weak… unlike most of whom he met…

But Sherry for sure wasn't weak. Although she may not have always shown it, she was strong. And hed told himself over and over that he'd stop calling her weak. Brago remembered back to the days where he did call her just that... and eventually as their relationship grew and so did their love, he would feel guilty every time he called her that.

He turned his head around and his attention landed back to Kalu. She was already in the depths of the tree's branches and, for some odd reason, picking the leaves off of a small branch.

"What are you doing?" asked Brago, curious to know what Kalu was up to. The young girl looked down at her father from where she was.

"Leaves." the little girl spoke, pointing to the green substance she was holding onto. "Picking leaves."

Of course she was picking leaves, but _why_ was she doing so? What was the point in it? Brago stared back at the girl. "And you are because…?"

Kalu didn't answer, but continued to pick the green foliage until she managed to pluck off all the leaves from an entire twig. And after a while, she seemed to get bored of it, and then hopped down from the tree and landed in the grass.

The dark mamodo looked down at the little girl, her purple eyes staring back up into his red ones.

"Is Mamma done yet?" Kalu asked. She began to walk around in a circle for she was bored. When Brago didn't answer her, the little girl just looked up at him in a questionable manner.

Brago closed his eyes, concentrating on Sherry. He sensed that she wasn't moving around any, so he figured she was still doing… whatever it was she had planned to do.

"No, she's not."

The young girl just shrugged. "All right." Kalu sat back down onto the grass under the shade of the tree next to her, her back against the trunk of the tree. Her father walked over next to her and sat down, too.

Kalu gave another yawn and leaned her head against Brago. The dark mamodo looked down at his daughter as she sighed. A small grin crept upon his lips and he put an arm around his daughter's shoulder. She had a good heart, and he knew she did. So young and so pure.

He held Kalu close to him, and he could tell that the young girl was slowly dozing off. Her black hair fell a little over her face, and Brago brushed it out of the way.

And then, he sensed that Sherry was on the move again. She was probably done with whatever errand she wanted to take care of, so he might as well go see her.

Carefully picking up the young girl, Brago hoisted her onto his back. The little girl mumbled slightly as she was moved from her spot.

Kalu held onto her father tightly as he began to walk off. She opened her eyes slightly and rubbed one with her hand.

"Mamma done?" she asked. Brago didn't answer her right away. But after a few seconds he nodded his head.

"Yes, she's done."

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_There's chappy two! Hope you all like it!_

_Oh, and question for all you reviewers, would anybody like me to draw out what Kalu looks like (Or at least what I picture her) and somehow figure out how to put it up so peoples can see? OR, would you just want to imagine her in your own head? It's up to you, but even if people said to draw her, I don't know if i would, but it's just a thought, because a reviewer mentioned something about drawing Kalu..._

_Anyways, on to my reviewers!_

_**pyro the dark angel: **I never noticed Brago had no eyebrows until a little while ago myself... and I think it's kinda weird if you ask me O.o Anywho, this is chapter TWO! Not three, I did say that the first one was just the prologue. But oh well. :-)_

_**PsychicLunar: **Yes, Kalu's eye color is a mixture of Brago's and Sherry's... I normally mix colors of the parents whenever I do something like that, the first time I ever did that was with my comic, but that's a different story! And that's neat, mixing in the English and Japanese version to spell Sherry's name._

_**Sara: **You're at Florida at the moment, but I can still reply to your review! I might do a picture of Kalu... it just depends on whether or not people would like me to or if I would like to. Actually, I HAVE drawn what I think of Kalu, and that's what got my story started, really. I just don't know how I would put it up... And to Amber... RICHARD IS NOT IN MY STORY! That's in "come back to me", not this one. Okay? Okay! Still, it was good to ask, but i think i did say that this has nothing to do with my other stories... but I think I'm thinking about a different one. Oh well._

_**Blood of the Wolf: **Yup, I updated. But I don't know how long the NEXT chapter will take me... Oh well. -sigh- Glad you like it!_

_Well, for those who did review, glad you all like it! I don't know how long chapter 3 will take me (again), but I'll eventually come up with it!_

_Anyways, I'm signing off!_


	4. An Attempt

_-Twilight Memories jumps up for joy-_

_Huzzah! I have finally figured out a -good- plot for this story! Ha-ha! -smiles happily-_

_Well, at least i HOPE it's good. Heh heh... yeah. I finally managed to get my lil' brain to think of something, at least **I** am happy! And now that i've thought of something, I'm sure you might notice that I've changed the summary a little. That's because what I have in mind doesn't entirely fit the summary i put up. Okay? Okay!_

_Now, on with the chapter!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Zatch Bell. If I did... well... let's just say I don't and end it there._

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Gift From the Dark

**Chapter 3**

**An Attempt**

Brago continued walking through the streets of the town with Kalu on top of his shoulders. The little girl had fallen asleep as he carried her.

Kalu had her head turned around to the side lying atop of Brago's. Her arms hung to the side and wavered to the dark mamodo's footsteps.

Closing his eyes, the dark mamodo began to concentrate on where Sherry was. She was somewhere to the north of him…

So he kept walking, and he kept an eye out for the blonde. After a few minutes of walking, Brago found the woman. And surprisingly she looked a little annoyed.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked dryly. Sherry gave a "huff" and shook her head.

"That store was horrible!" Sherry said. She put her hand on her hip and let out an irritated sigh. "Everyone claims that it has good things, while in fact it doesn't. Sure, the items look nice, but they're too costly! It's not even worth buying them! And the service, it's horrible! And…"

Brago began to tune out as his wife babbled on about the store she had gone to. He never paid attention to those sort of human products… he just lived with what he had and that was that. If he needed something, he didn't go to these so called 'stores' and buy it.

The blonde then noticed that Brago wasn't entirely paying attention to her. So she sighed, and decided to change the subject.

"So, what did you and Kalu do?" she asked.

Brago, now very thankful that this store Sherry had gone to was no longer the subject, just shrugged. "Nothing in particular. Kalu wanted to go to the forest, so we did."

"Well OK then." Sherry smiled. The woman observed the view in front of her. Kalu sleeping atop of Brago's shoulders, it was something alright.

She remembered back to when her relationship with Brago wasn't very much. It would be uncanny to even think about something such as Brago being a father. In those days, he didn't even seem like the type that could even _be_ a father.

And today, it seems like it would almost be the perfect thing. How strange it all was… to think that the dark mamodo could become a father. Funny.

Sherry smiled again and brushed a bit of hair from her daughter's eyes. And then she turned her attention to Brago.

"I guess we should go home now, since there's nothing else to do." she said. Brago only shrugged again as the two began to walk back to the mansion.

They didn't talk very much as they walked through the town. Kalu still slept on top of her father's shoulders. And after a while, the family came across the entrance to the mansion's grounds.

But that's when it happened.

The three were suddenly stopped by a loud explosion. Kalu woke up and let out a surprised scream. They all toppled forward as the explosion knocked them over.

When the dust died down, two beings could be seen. One of them was short while the other stood at least a foot taller. And while the short one held an attacking position, the other held a strange orange book.

The book was immediately recognized by the two parents, and they stood up quickly. Kalu sat on the ground, shaking with fear. Sherry bent down to comfort her daughter.

"It's going to be alright, Kalu." she whispered in the little girl's ear. "It's going to be alright."

Kalu grasped onto her mother's leg, and she looked up at the other team. "Mamma, those two are scaring me." She closed her eyes tightly and let out another whine.

The other team laughed as they saw this. The shorter being let out the most sinister laugh of the two.

"Wow, I can't believe It." he said, still laughing. "I guess the rumors were true!"

Brago glared daggers at the other team. Why was there a mamodo in town? What did he want from him? And… what were these rumors he was talking about?

"What is a mamodo doing here?" asked Sherry as she looked up from her daughter to Brago. The dark mamodo said nothing, but continued to stare down at the other team.

Laughing, the other mamodo looked from Brago to Sherry to Kalu, and then back to Brago.

"This is too rich." he said, smiling. The mamodo looked over at Kalu as she opened her eyes and looked at him. Their eyes met, and the little girl let out a scared cry as she closed her eyes again. Brago looked down at his daughter.

"Don't look at him." he commanded Kalu. The little girl just shook a little more, still holding onto her mother.

"Make him go away." murmured Kalu. "He's too scary."

"We'll make him go away." reassured Brago. He turned his attention back to the opposing team, with the other mamodo laughing even more.

"Brago, Brago, Brago…" the other mamodo chuckled. He looked back up at the dark mamodo with an evil grin. "You've grown too soft. Now you're sentimental. Who would have thought that a mamodo like you would have become a _father_!" He continued to howl with laughter.

The dark mamodo's ruby red orbs then vanished into the depths of his cloudy eyes. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fist even tighter. He turned his head around then to face the blonde next to him.

"Get Kalu out of here." he said and Sherry nodded. He turned his attention back to the other team as Sherry took her daughter's hand and began to run off.

The other human from the opposing team then flipped a page in the orange spell book, and called out a spell.

"Kioshi!"

The mamodo beside him stood still suddenly, and his eyes shot backwards as he opened his mouth and sent a large energy wave out of his mouth. The energy was sent flying towards Sherry and Kalu. Brago leapt in the way just in time to take the hit in order to keep the girls safe.

Kalu turned her head around only to see her father get hit by the wave. "Daddy!" she shrieked. She stood still gawking at what just happened when Sherry turned around and told her to keep moving.

"Come on, Kalu. Your father will be alright, Brago can handle it." Sherry continued to coax her daughter to follow her, and after a while she listened. They continued to run away from the scene.

Brago stood up, and glared at the other team. "Leave them out of this." he said bitterly. The other team just laughed again.

The other human then called out another spell, and his mamodo began to run forwards at a high speed. He ran, avoiding Brago, and headed towards Sherry and Kalu. When he reached them, he snagged the little girl around the waist.

Sherry jumped forward in time before the mamodo ran off with her daughter, and she grabbed onto his leg. This sent all three of them tumbling to the ground with a loud 'thud'.

Kalu began crying as she managed to free herself from the dizzy mamodo, and she quickly crawled towards her mother, who held onto her tightly.

Brago ran over to where the two girls were and bent down to see if they were alright.

"I'm fine, but Kalu's a little shaken up." Sherry spoke, still holding onto her daughter. She brushed a lock of black hair from Kalu's tear-stained eyes.

The dark mamodo turned his head around to face the other team's book reader. Oh, if only Sherry had his book with her at the moment, then they could read out spells and burn the other team's book…

Brago then noticed that the other team's mamodo had suddenly returned to his human counterpart's side. At least he wasn't near Kalu and Sherry anymore…

As Brago began to think about other things, he suddenly heard a shriek coming from Kalu. He turned around, and his eyes widened at what he saw.

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_Cliffhanger! Muwahahahaha..._

_Now, I DO have something planned for the next chapter. But I thought I'd keep this a little short and put up a cliffy! -smiles-_

_Haha, yeah. Now, on to my reviewers!_

_**Blood of the Wolf:**Here's the next chappy:-)_

_**PsychicLunar: **Y'know... we really ARE all friendly in this category! Unlike some other ones where all the stories are... just all... eh, I'm not going to say. But yes, we're all friendly! And now I've updated this story and my brain has finally figured out something for this story! -smiles- Ha-ha..._

_**SilverMoons BlackWings: **I'm trying to keep Brago himself. And I'm glad you think he still is. I mean, really, it's not like we're going to actually SEE a father-Brago in the Zatch Bell (or the Japanese Konjiki no Gash Bell) series! So... yeah. Ha. Glad you likes it!_

_**pyro the dark angel: **I have drawn Kalu, but all I have to do is draw her on the computer where I can add color and whatnot to it. That way I wont have to constantly redo a drawing of Kalu, and that there wouldn't be so many erase marks (I tend to erase a lot sometimes when I draw) on the picture. And as soon as I'm done with the picture on the computer, I'll try to figure out a way to put it up in my profile._

_**Crying White Wolf:** Here's the next chappy!_

_And this reminds me... PEOPLE! I AM drawing a picture of Kalu, and it is on the computer on my Paint Program. Yep. I could draw her a lot faster on paper, but I don't want to deal with erasing a lot (which would mean lots of erase marks on picture which ruins it) or having to think of colors to put on there, and then mess up because I don't like a color. So that's why I'm drawing Kalu on Paint. And I'm also trying to make her look really similar to the Zatch Bell style... so that way she'd look more like as if she was Brago's and Sherry's. Okay? Okay! I'll try to put her up in my profile when I'm done with her. Just thought I'd let you all know!_

_Yes, now, CLIFFHANGER! Ha-ha! You all are just going to have to wait for the next chapter!_

_Eh... I hope that my other story (Take Your Pick) doesn't turn out like this one. Hm... Oh well. I'll just have to think of ways to keep them different! -smiles again-_

_Twilight Memories is now logging out._


	5. After All These Years…

_I'm back! Wow, this has to be the shortest update yet for this story. Ha!_

_And now I'm happy that I actually figured out a -small- plot for this story! He-he! Well, responses to reviewers are at the bottom as usual! Enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Zatch Bell. If I did... well... let's just say I don't and end it there._

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Gift from the Dark

**Chapter 4**

**After All These Years…**

The dark mamodo turned his head around to face his daughter, and his eyes widened at what he saw.

Kalu was standing up now, and her eyes were wide with fear. Her right hand slowly rose up into the air with a strange purple aura surrounding it. She looked as if she had no control whatsoever of what she was doing, and the fear in her eyes gave away that answer.

The other team was staring at this as well. Both the mamodo and human had shocked expressions on their faces as they watched energy gather in Kalu's palm.

Then the little girl shrieked as a purple ball of energy was released from her hand. It was sent flying at the opposing team, who were caught off-guard. The ball of energy swooped past the mamodo and shot right at the orange book in the human's arms.

It came in contact with the orange spell book, and then the other mamodo let out a surprised cry as a blue flame took hold of the book. The fire began to eat away the cover of the book, and it began to disappear with its owner.

Dropping the book, the human ran away from the scene, and the mamodo yelled back at him to come back. But he ignored the cries and just continued to run.

Kalu fell down to the ground, shaking very hard now. She closed her eyes tightly and began to whimper. Sherry just held onto her daughter tightly as tears began falling down the little girl's face.

Brago looked from his daughter to the other mamodo and then back to his daughter. Did… did that just… did his daughter just do what he thought she just did…?

The dark mamodo then heard the other mamodo yell back at him. He turned his head around and brought his attention to the mamodo of the orange book.

"There'll be more!" he cried as be continued to disappear. "With all the rumors going on back in the mamodo world, there's going to be more!" There's going to be…"

But the mamodo was cut off as he completely disappeared. Ashes were all that remained of his book, and Brago was left wondering.

More of what?

As he kept wondering, his attention was drawn back to Kalu. Brago turned around to face the little girl as she continued to cry and shake with fear.

Sherry was rubbing the back of the distressed girl, and she was whispering soothing things in her ear. She then brought her head to face upwards to look in Brago's face. The two did not speak right away, and were left to ponder about what just happened.

"Did… did Kalu just do a…?" Sherry's voice trailed off, leaving Brago to finish the sentence.

"A Reis spell."

Silence fell upon the two again, and Sherry turned her attention back to Kalu. The little girl just continued to weep and shake with fear and confusion. Brago then bent down and put a hand on Kalu's shoulder.

"Kalu?"

The little girl raised her head to look up at her father. Her face was tear-stained and had a slight pinkish look to her skin, making it look less pale. But that was just with her face, for her hands seemed a little paler than usual.

"Dad…" The little girl looked up into her father's cloudy eyes as his red orbs returned. Kalu then jumped up and landed into the dark mamodo's arms. She buried her face in his chest as she began to cry louder.

Brago hugged his daughter tightly, and he looked down at her. "It's alright Kalu." he whispered to her. "It's alright."

The little girl began to speak, but her voice was slightly muffled due to the fact that her face was buried. "I don o what appened, what was at addy?" She sniffed and held onto Brago tighter.

Brago and Sherry looked at each other and then back to Kalu. The dark mamodo then picked up the upset girl and carried her back to their home, Sherry began to follow.

-o-o-o-o-o-

It was night, and Kalu was asleep in her room with a teddy bear tight in her arms. Sherry and Brago were right outside her door, watching her.

"That… That spell, from earlier… It was your spell." Sherry looked at her husband as he silently watched his daughter.

"I know."

Sherry sighed and looked back over to her sleeping daughter. After all these years, she finally performed a spell. But she didn't even have somebody read out a spell book to make her do that. Did Kalu even _need _a spell book? Or did she not have the ability to control her powers and needed a book to do so? What was it?

After all these years…

"I assume that her powers have finally been unlocked." stated Brago flatly. Sherry looked at him as he said this. "I suppose that all she needed was a small battle to unleash the strength inside her. Now all she needs to do is to control her abilities."

"But Kalu doesn't even understand that it was a spell, and that _she_ was the one who created it." Sherry responded.

"I know, but…" Brago trailed off as he began to think about the other mamodo's words from earlier.

"_With all the rumors going on back in the mamodo world, there's going to be more!"_

"That mamodo said that there were rumors going on in the mamodo world." said Brago. He sighed and continued to stare at his sleeping daughter. "I don't know what he meant by that, but I'm going to have to take a visit back to my world in order to find out."

Sherry slowly nodded her head. She turned around and gave Brago a goodnight kiss. "I'm going to bed. It's been an eventful day." And with that, Sherry walked off, heading to her room.

Brago watched the blonde walk off, and then turned his attention back to Kalu. That Reis spell… his own spell… Kalu created one. After all these years, her powers were finally released…

The dark mamodo then slowly began to walk off. He'd worry more about this in the morning, but as for now, he had a trip to plan.

* * *

_Ta Da...! There's the next chappy! Hope you all like it!_

_And now to my reviewers!_

_**PsychicLunar: **Muahahaha... I think I like cliffhangers now more than I used to. They make reviewers mad... -laughs- Here's the next chappy!_

_**Crying White Wolf: **Here's the next chappy!_

_**MadisonMohawksJD: **Glad you like it! And here's the next chappy!_

_**FennFeatherDragon: **Suspense is your friend? Huh... it's not mine. I always tend to get mad at it for creating cliffies and all... XP_

_**Rae: **Na... You don't have to color in Kalu. You wouldn't get all the colors I wanted right! XP Ha, yeah. Well, anyways, that reminds me... I completed the pic yesterday... haha. I just remembered. Yeah, now all I need to do is figure out a way to post it up on my profile. -grins- I'm not a bad artist myself, not to brag. Brago: Did you call? Me: I said "brag" not "Brago". Stupid... Brago: What did you call me? Me: Nothing!_

_**Sara: **Yeah, look who's back:-) Yeah, Florida is fun. But I've only been there once in my life and that was like a month or two ago... i forget. XD Oh, and um... if Kalu's half human/mamodo, then she can't be the most powerful mamodo, because she's got human in her. And even if she was full mamodo, I wouldn't make her the most powerful, that's not exactly what I have in mind... but o well. :-)_

_**Suki-n-Mushra-Sittin-in-a-Tree:** No I don't know you. Ha.. XP here's the next chappy._

_YAHOO! More reviewers! -smiles really big- Glad you all like my story!_

_Oh, and another thing, I did finish the picture of Kalu. All I need to do is figure out a way to put it up on my profile. Just thought I'd let you know! I spent the whole day yesterday working on it! OK... not the "whole day" but a good portion of it!_

_Twilight Memories is now signing off._


	6. Worrying

_I'm bored right now, so I guess I'll be updating another chapter for you all to read:-)_

_Brago: Don't you have anything else better to do?_

_Me: No not really. None of the shows I'm waiting to see aren't on yet, and then Zatch Bell doesn't come on until 9:00..._

_Brago: You have a pitiful life._

_Me: Oh, and like yours isn't any better? All you ever do in the show is complain about how weak us humans are and how you could be king quicker if you weren't with Sherry, and all you ever do is fight! Don't you know violence is not the answer?_

_Brago: ...Where the hell did you hear that?_

_Me: It's another saying._

_Brago: -mumbles- What is it with humans and sayings...?_

_Me: Now be quiet Braggy, and let's just get on with the next chapter for this story!_

_Brago: ... Braggy? BRAGGY! What the hell is that!_

_Me: -snickers- A nickname. Now, on with the chapter!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Zatch Bell. If i did... well... lets just say I don't and end it there._**

* * *

**

Gift from the Dark

**Chapter 5**

**Worrying**

It was around three in the morning, and the whole mansion was silent. Sherry was sleeping in her room silently, Brago was somewhere within the mansion doing… something, and Kalu was also asleep in bed.

The only sounds that could be heard were the ticking sounds of a clock. Second by second the house was still will silence.

Kalu woke up suddenly after a dreamless sleep. The little girl let her eyes just stare out into nowhere as she let them adjust to the darkness. She felt that she couldn't sleep anymore, so she'd just lay awake on her bed.

Then, she thought about the strange incident that happened earlier that day… She had almost been kidnapped by some strange person that had weird characteristics like she and her father. He had almost gotten away with taking her, but luckily her mother and father protected her and she was safe. And then, something strange had happened, a weird light had come out of her hand and then it flew towards a strange book one of the other guys was holding, and she burnt it. While the book was burning, the other strange guy disappeared. What was that all about?

She shut her eyes tight again as she relived the moment. It was scary, really, to have almost been captured by some strange person that had strange characteristics similar to her and her father.

Say… how come she had characteristics like that anyways? And why were the only people like that that she had seen was herself, her father, and the other guy? Why did that weird light come out of her hand? Why couldn't she control what she was doing? What was going on, anyways?

The little girl then reopened her eyes and sat up in bed. Her eyes and fully adjusted by now to the dark, and she could see clearly of what was around her. A few stuffed animals layed on the floor to her room, and a small pair of shoes were right next to her door.

Still holding the teddy bear in her arms, Kalu climbed out of bed and walked up to her door. She peered down the hallway and saw nothing but the early morning's darkness.

As quietly as she could, the little girl then began to walk down the hall. She rarely walked through her home at night when it was so silent and dark, it had an eerie look. The way everything was so big and empty, it was so different looking compared to it during day.

She stopped walking when she thought there was somebody behind her. Turning her head around, Kalu looked behind her, but nobody was there. She turned her head around again to face in front of her, and stopped quickly as she saw a figure walk right ahead of her.

It was Brago.

"What are you doing up?" asked her father calmly. He took a few steps forward to come nearer to his daughter. When Kalu didn't respond, the dark mamodo began to talk again. "Are you unable to sleep?"

She shook her head and held her teddy close to her chest. "No…"

Brago looked down at his daughter. "Something wrong?" he asked. Bending his knee, he lowed himself down so he could face Kalu in the eye.

"I… I don't know what happened earlier… w-what was it?"

The dark mamodo could see the slight hint of fear in his daughter's eyes. Was this why she couldn't sleep? But before Brago could say anything, Kalu continued.

"That… that light that popped out of my hand. W-what was it? And why did that other man try to take me away? And why did he disappear when that book did?" A sad look engulfed the little girl's face. "I don't understand. What was it?"

Shaking his head, Brago sighed and placed his hand on the little girl's shoulder. "I don't know why he tried to take you. And I can't answer your other question now. Besides, you shouldn't be thinking about something like this right now, you should be resting."

Kalu slowly nodded her head. "Alright… I still don't understand, though."

Brago stood up and was about to lead his daughter back to her room, when she suddenly grabbed him in a hug. He didn't expect this, but returned the hug anyways. So what if he had grown a little soft over the years, it was worth it in the end… in his opinion anyways…

"Come on, you should be asleep." the dark mamodo said to his daughter. Kalu ended the hug and nodded as she began to walk back to her room.

Sighing, Brago thought about the events from earlier as well. Kalu couldn't know about what she was right this moment, he'd have to talk about it with Sherry first before he did anything. There had been times if he had gone in and done something without telling her, she'd get mad at him. So it was best that she knew what he was doing at times.

He then began to follow his daughter back to her room. When he reached there, the little girl climbed back up onto her bed and sighed as she pulled up the covers to her chest. Brago walked over to her bedside.

"See you in the morning." spoke Kalu quietly. Brago nodded his head as a small smile crept upon his lips. He brushed a piece of black hair from the little girl's eyes.

"Try to get some sleep."

And with that, he walked off leaving Kalu to sleep again. He closed the door to hid daughter's room behind him as he walked off.

As he was walking, Brago passed a clock in the hallway. It was now 3:23… he'd be leaving later on for the mamodo world to have a discussion with the king about the events from earlier. He'd tell Sherry before he left, that way somebody would at least know where he was…

The house was back to its original quiet state as Brago continued to think about later on in the morning. Ticking sounds from the clock were all that could be heard. And after a while, the sun finally rose to a new day.

* * *

_That's the end of the chapter! I hope you all liked it!_

_Now, onto my reviewers!_

_**PsychicLunar: **-shakes head really quickly- Noo... i shouldn'thave said that... i shouldn't have said that... I should NOT have said that... now you're getting ideas for cliffies! XD Ah, i don't really care. A lot of people do cliffies so you get kinda used to 'em. Um... I have a somewhat idea of why the mamodos are trying to take Kalu... but I'm not tellin:-)_

_**Rae: **Well... Kalu has a Reis spell. But I'm not going to say anymore. You reviewers will just have to find out for yourself! XD And... how can I send you a pic of Kalu? You didn't put up email or anything. And... I think i'll just try to figure out a way to put the pic i have up in my profile... somehow..._

_**Sara:** ... Woa! You reviewed that chapter 3 times! Girl, you don't have to review that many times. Well, maybe you could try to redraw her once i, er, TRY to find a way to put up the pic I have of Kalu in my profile. So far... I haven't figured out a way, but I'm not trying that hard either. XD I don't know how I'd be able to send a pic of Kalu to you... you didn't put up email on your review so I'm just going to stick with figuring out how to get it up._

_**MadisonMohawksJD: **Here's the next chappy!_

_**SilverMoons BlackWings: **Well, glad you like it so much:-) Here's the next chappy... but I don't think I made Brago as Brago-y this time... but who knows, if he had a child then maybe he'd act like that... I have noidea... XP_

_**Suki-n-Mushra-Sittin-in-a-Tree:** Here's the next chappy! Don't make Mushra write the story! Mushra doesn't know what I have planned!_

_And yes, now that i keep getting reminded about the Kalu pic, I do have to say that I have not found a way to get the pic up. Does anybody know how I might be able to? -clueless-_

_Anyhow, hope you all enjoyed the chapter! I'm signing off!_


	7. In The Mamodo World

_Yes, I finally updated! Sorry to keep you waiting, but I've been busy writing other stories, been busy with school (ugh), and... other stuff. Yeah... ah well, at least I updated, that's good enough, right?_

_Anywho, just to let you peoples know, I found out that I cannot put up the picture of Kalu in my profile without paying for something... and I don't want to do that. So, for those who have email, just tell me whether you'd like to see the picture or not. And for those who have seen it already (You know who you are, and unfortunately I forgot maybe one or two people I sent the pic to, so just say whether you want it. and if you have seen it, then just dont say anything at all.) please don't ask again. Okay? Okay!_

_Now, on with the chapter!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Zatch Bell. If I did... well... let's just say I don't and end it there._

**

* * *

**

Gift from the Dark

**Chapter 6**

**In The Mamodo World**

Sherry woke up the next morning to see Brago sitting on the edge of her bed. She drowsily turned rolled her head over to the side and gave a yawn.

"Morning." she said, still half asleep.

Brago gave half a smile, but it soon vanished, and he began to speak. "Sherry."

"Hm?"

"I'm going to the mamodo world to see the king today." The dark mamodo waited for his wife to wake up a little more and to think about what he just said.

Rubbing her eyes, Sherry yawned again and looked over at Brago again. "I forgot all about that."

The two were quiet for a minute, and then Brago sat up from the side of the bed and headed for the door.

"I'll be leaving now." said the dark mamodo.

"What time will you be back?" Sherry asked before Brago left. He turned around right when he reached the doorway and looked over at the blonde.

"Perhaps somewhere later on today… I suggest around late afternoon or night."

With that, Brago left, leaving Sherry to wake up a little more. The woman turned her head to look at the clock, and gave another yawn. It was still a little too early for Kalu to wake up. She could just take this time to order her chefs to make some breakfast.

So the blonde stood up and headed to go shower really quick right after telling the cooks to get some food started.

-o-o-o-o-o-

It was an hour later, and Kalu was still asleep, but not for long. The fresh smell of pancakes reached her nose, and an eye popped open, and then the other. Her head rose up and she looked at her door, and sniffed the air.

Yes, it was pancakes alright.

Feeling hungry, the little girl hopped down from her bed, still clutching the teddy bear, and headed out of her room and into the hall. Her nose led her to the kitchen where she saw one of the cooks preparing breakfast.

"Morning," said he, and he continued to go about with his duty. Kalu smiled and just walked along, now looking for her mother and father.

Then, a strange feeling rose inside her, and for some reason she could sense where her mother was. Since when could she do that?

Kalu shrugged to herself and continued on her way. The little girl found herself in the living room where Sherry was on a couch reading a book.

Her mother's head looked up to see her daughter awake, and she smiled. "Good morning, Kalu." Sherry said as she set down her book. Kalu walked up to her and gave her a hug.

"Morning, Mamma."

Sherry smiled again and looked down at her daughter. "Did you sleep alright?" The little girl shook her head, and Sherry sighed. "Well, perhaps tonight you'll have a better rest."

The woman watched as the little girl sat down on the couch near her feet. She didn't want to go into discussion about yesterday's incident. Before that would ever happen she would talk about it a little more with Brago.

"Where's Daddy?" asked Kalu finally after a minute of silence. Hearing this question reminded the blonde of Brago's words.

"He's not here at the moment. He'll be back later today." Sherry responded. Kalu gave a sigh and leaned her head against the couch and hugged her teddy a little tighter. The blonde looked at her daughter and smiled. "Don't worry; Brago will be back later today. You'll see him."

A small smile took form on the little girl's lips. "OK."

-o-o-o-o-o-

Brago looked up to the fairly large castle that stood up high into the mamodo world's skies. He had arrived not too long ago, and he was going to have a talk with the king about the incident yesterday.

The dark mamodo began to make his way forwards and headed up to the castle. There were guards at the door, and when they saw Brago coming, they stepped up.

"Halt," said one. Brago just gave him a small glare before he spoke.

"I'm here to see the king." he said.

"What's your name?"

"Honestly, do I really need to tell you that?"

"Yes, it is forbidden for one to see the king if there is no information known about them." said the other guard.

"Just in case you didn't already know, I'm allowed to enter this castle whenever I please. I was in second place in the last battle, so let me in!" the dark mamodo said with a growl

Both guards took one good look at Brago, and then they finally recognized him. "Oh, we're so sorry! Yes, you may enter!" they both said in unison. With a growl, Brago strode forwards into the castle.

It took him awhile to reach the room where the king was, but after a few minutes the dark mamodo found his way. Up beyond the large, slightly empty room, was the king. He looked rather bored, actually, and he had a dozed off look on his face and was resting his head in his hand. The king was known as Zatch Bell.

When the lightning mamodo caught sight of Brago, the boredom in his eyes vanished and a large smile took over his face. "Hi, Brago!" he said, taking the hand he had rested his head in and began waving it in the air. "What's up?"

Brago wasn't _too_ happy to see the king, all because he was too hyper and giddy whenever he saw him. Alas, there was nothing he could do to change that fact. It was just how Zatch was…

"What's up?" he echoed. "I'll tell you what's up. Just yesterday a mamodo came to the human world and attacked my wife and daughter, almost kidnapping one as well."

The lightning mamodo put on a very surprised face. "Really?" he said with a hint of shock in his voice. "Which one did they try to capture?"

"My daughter." Brago said flatly.

"Now why would anyone want to do that?"

"I don't know. That's why I came here to talk to you!"

"Oh, OK then! Start talking!"

This comment annoyed Brago greatly, but he tried his best to suppress his anger. Why did Zatch always have to be so annoying…?

"First off, I heard that there were rumors about me yesterday." the dark mamodo finally said. "Is this true?" He crossed his arms as he inquired the king.

Zatch put a finger up to his mouth and began to think. "Um… there might be. But I don't like to listen to gossip, so honestly I have no idea."

Taking his hand and covering it over his eyes, Brago sighed and gave an annoyed look. "You're the king. You're supposed to know this."

"I know that." Zatch said. "I just choose to not know it."

"Do you know _anything_?"

The king frowned as Brago said that. "Somebody's in a grumpy mood."

"Only because his daughter and wife were threatened." the dark mamodo shot back. He gave a frown and shook his head. "If you can't help me, then I'm leaving. But I'm telling you this right here and now, something happened and I want to know why."

With that, the dark mamodo turned around and began walking.

"OK, well…" Zatch looked around the room, and then back at Brago. "I'll let you know if I find out anything!"

"Whatever."

The lightning mamodo watched as Brago left the room, and he gave a sigh. "Boy, what was that all about? I guess I'll just check it out…"

So the king hopped up out of his seat, but was interrupted by another mamodo coming in the room.

"Zatch, something bad happened yesterday! The village ran out—"

Before the mamodo could continue talking, the king slapped himself on the head. "Am I going to get any peace around here?"

-o-o-o-o-o-

Back in the mamodo world it was late afternoon and Brago was seen heading back up the yard to his home. Before he reached there, however, Kalu came running out the door to greet him.

"Daddy, you're home!" cried the little girl happily. She ran up to the dark mamodo and hugged him around the legs and he couldn't move.

"Kalu I'm trying to walk here." Brago said a little annoyed. He was still a little unhappy about Zatch's response. Moving his leg, he tried to walk but ended up falling face forward, but blocked his fall with his hands. Kalu fell down with him.

At this moment Sherry emerged from the house, and gave a laugh as she saw the other two on the ground. "What happened out here?"

"Kalu tripped me."

Sherry gave another laugh and shook her head, but her smile soon vanished as she stared up at Brago as he stood up, brushing the dirt off his arms. "Uh, I need to talk to you about something." she said.

Brago looked up at his wife, and Kalu looked up at him. "About what?"

Sherry looked from the ground to her daughter and then back to her husband, and she gave a sigh before she responded. "Kalu."

* * *

_Well, there ya go! The next chapter! Hehe, hopefully I'll update soon enough._

_Now, on with my reviewers!_

_**PsychicLunar: **Yeah... I've seen somebody put up a pic too... too bad that you have to pay in order to do so... I'd like to have put up that pic. All well. And I think i know why your message was cut off. Every time you do that little thingy that looks like an arrow, and use that face thingy (I forget the names for them, so spare me, ok? XD) then it will cut if off.Anyways, here's the next chapter!_

_**Crying White Wolf: **Glad you like it! Well... here's the next chapter! You should know who the king is now... :-)_

_**MadisonMohawksJD: **Heh, I was also watching Zatch Bell and reading/working on fanfics with ZB that night as well... -snickers- Funny..._

_**Emria: **Glad you like them! Yes, I drew a pic of Kalu. Did I show you it? I forget... --_

_**Sara: **Well, you i KNOW i sent the picture to already. You responded to me a couple of times after I did... hehe, anyways, um... you said you wanted to know if I could draw a picture of Kalu when she was older, yes? (I forget if i responded to that, so i'm putting this in here just in case) Well, I don't know if I will draw an older version of her... If I ever feel like it then maybe, yes, but as for now I don't have all that time. Besides, it took me FOREVER to think up what Kalu would look like... --_

_**Blood of the Wolf: **Hehe, yes, Brago seems to have become A LOT softer now... hehe -joins in with the singing- Brago is a softie, Brago is a softie... Brago: SHUT UP! Me: -snickers-_

_Well, there's the next chapter! (Didn't i say that already...?) Hope you peeps liked it! Hehe, now, hopefully I can get the next chapter up soon. Until then, toodles! I'm signing off (OK, I might not sign off, but I'm done with this chapter nonetheless)._

_Bye!_


	8. Make Up Your Mind

_Here you go! Another chapter! Hope you all like it!_

_Hehe, just to let you all know, IT'S FINALLY THE WEEKEND! XD Haha, sorry, i had to say that. School has been EVIL and i'm glad it's finally over for a coujple of days! -smiles-_

_Anyways, hope you all like the chapter!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Zatch Bell. If I did... well... let's just say I don't and end it there._

**

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**

Gift from the Dark

**Chapter 7**

**Make Up Your Mind**

"Kalu?" Brago echoed. He looked down at the little girl before him and back up to his wife. "What about her?"

Hearing the two talk made the girl quiet. Looking up from one parent to the other, confusion and worry were placed in her eyes. Brago sensed his daughter's feelings, so he turned his head down to look at her but did not say anything.

"Yes, I uh…" Sherry turned her head to the side to look over at the mansion behind her. "Well, let's just say something has been going on with Kalu. I'm sure you have a good idea what."

"Hn." The dark mamodo nodded his head. Yes, so that's what it was. Of course. But did something happen while he was gone to make Sherry want to talk about it now? "Perhaps we should talk about this inside." he said after a moment of silence.

Sherry nodded her head, and then turned around to head up the pathway to the large building. Both Brago and Kalu followed, the little girl holding onto her father closely as they walked.

Inside, Kalu went off to play with some of her toys while the dark mamodo and the blonde talked in the sitting room.

"So, did anything in particular happen?" Brago asked as he folded his arms and leaned against the wall.

"Yes, well, Kalu has been acting a little strange today. You were gone for a while so you didn't get to see. But…" Sherry paused and then continued. "She also made a reference to the other day when she was almost kidnapped. She asked why this 'strange light appeared out of her hand' and why the other vanished when his book was burnt. I couldn't just tell her right then and there, so I've been waiting for you to come back home all day

And then there's the fact that earlier, she and I were outside and she performed another spell. It was the Gravi Rei, though Kalu was oblivious to it. All that happened was she froze for a moment, and her eyes lit up along with one of her hands, and she crushed a nearby bush. Kalu fainted, but when she came to, she didn't remember anything."

The dark mamodo's eyes widened. "She performed another spell?" His wife nodded her head.

Sighing, Sherry closed her eyes for a moment, and then reopened them to look at her husband. "I was wondering… should we tell her?"

A silence fell upon the two as the question was asked. Should they? Or should they wait a little while longer?

"I'm unsure." was Brago's response. Sherry just sighed and shook her head.

"Well, I don't quite know what would happen once we did. I mean, during the battle for king, when it was still going on, there were mamodos younger than her fighting in the battle." Sherry said. "Also, just yesterday she finally used one of her abilities – a Reis spell, and then there's the one from earlier, but those are things she inherited from you, and she could even possess the rest of your spells, and maybe some of her own.

But, considering that she is half human and half mamodo, she wouldn't be as strong as you. She has a human side to her, too, and that wouldn't make her as strong as one like you. So I don't know what to expect. Kalu will either take it lightly or she won't handle it very well. It all just depends."

Brago nodded his head as he heard all of this. It was true; Kalu was half human and mamodo and she had picked up traits from both sides. Currently she was acting more human for she didn't handle a battle very well, and there were mamodos younger than her who could take it better than her. Though, she was beginning to show the other half of her now.

"Yes, I agree with that." the dark mamodo finally said. Another silence fell upon the two, and the minutes went ticking by. Finally, after a few minutes, Brago spoke up. "I think we should tell her."

The blonde looked up at her husband. "You think?"

He nodded his head. "It will only be for the better. After all, the younger she is, the better she can handle it. Besides, it would only be a matter of time before she found out on her own. She needs to know, Sherry."

The woman only sighed. "Yes, I know that. But she's only a little girl…"

"That doesn't mean anything. Her age does not matter. She needs to know it. I've made my decision, now make yours." Brago said sternly.

It sounded odd, hearing the dark mamodo speak harshly. To Sherry, it sounded like he had returned to the old Brago she once knew when she first met him, when he was harsh and stern. Was his strict side finally coming out again?

"Alright." Sherry said. "We'll tell her."

* * *

_CLIFFHANGER! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!_

_Now you all must anticipate on what shall happen next! Huh? Why am i talking so funny? Heh, anyways, I STILL PUT IN A CLIFFY! HAHAHAHA! SUSPENSE!_

_Anywho... on to my reviewers!_

_**PsychicLunar: **Hehe... and now I've put in ANOTHER cliffy! buwahahahaha!_

_**Wolf of the Blue Moon: **Here's the next chappy!_

_**Rae: **Here's the next chappy!_

_**Blood of the Wolf: **Well, if you have read the chapter then you'll know what they mean by talking about Kalu. Heh... yeah. You must really like Kalu. :-) Brago: I'm still not a softie. Me: Yes you are Brago: No, i'm not! Me: YES! Brago: NO! Me: YES! Brago: NO! Me: Hey, you're a softie and that's that! XD_

_**Wolf Called Killer: **Glad you like it! And, reading this chapter, you should know now._

_**Crying White Wolf: **-sigh- Must I keep saying this? All well. READ the chapter then you'll find out!_

_**Serena: **Glad you like it! And here's the next chapter!_

_**Emria: **Glad you like the picture! And here's the next chappy!_

_Now that that is done with, i do have to say something. If you requested a pic of Kalu, and did not get one yet, then please tell me! I sent some out, but I hope it reached you all! Anyways, enough of my babbling!_

_Brago: Yes, enough is enough._

_Me: Hey, you're not very nice._

_Brago: No i'm not._

_Me: You're a meany!_

_Brago: So?_

_Me: Why don't you ever act nice?_

_Brago: That's just who i am._

_Me: Ever heard of split personalities?_

_Brago: Split what? Is that another ningen riddle?_

_Me: -ignores last statement- Split personalities! You need one! And the one you need is a persona that would always be kind!_

_Brago: I'm not going to become a stupid benevolent thing like Za--_

_ZatcH: What'd you call me?_

_Me: He called you benevolent._

_Zatch: -gasp- REALLY!_

_Brago: STOP TELLING LIES! I DID NOT CALL HIM BENEVOLENT!_

_Me: hehehe... You sound different when you're being nice._

_Brago: -growls-_

_Anyways, THERE'S THE NEXT CHAPTER! Hope you all liked it! Ta-ta for now!_


	9. Story Time

_Yes, i finally updated! Heh, actually i just started working on this chapter earlier this afternoon... so sorry if it seems rushed near the end. I don't think it sounds rushed, but just in case:-)_

_Anyways... here's the next chapter! Hope you peeps enjoy it!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Zatch Bell. If I did... well... let's just say I don't and end it there._**

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Gift from the Dark

**Chapter 8**

**Story Time **

Kalu was just playing with her small teddy bear when her parents walked up to her. She looked up at them with her clouded purple eyes and gave a puzzled look.

"Kalu, we need to speak with you." Sherry said with a strange look in her eyes. She glanced over at Brago and then back to her daughter.

"Did… Did I do something wrong?" asked the little girl. Her gaze shifted from her mother and then to her father. "Did I?"

"No, you didn't." This time it was her father speaking. "We just need to tell you something, that's all."

"OK…"

Sherry gave a sigh before she spoke. "Well, you remember how yesterday you were almost kidnapped by this ma— er… other person?"

The little girl nodded her head. "Did you find out why he did?"

"Uh, no, actually we need to talk about something else just as important." said the blonde quickly. Brago turned his head around to face his wife.

"Will you just get on with it already?" he asked.

The blonde gave him a look after he said that. "Patience, it can't all just be rushed." The dark mamodo rolled his eyes and Sherry continued. "Now, Kalu, sweetie, this may be a little shock to you, but…"

"You found out why that light came out of my hand?" interrupted the little girl.

"No, that's not it. Kalu…" Sighing, Sherry shook her head. How was she going to explain it to her? After a minute's pause, she finally thought of a way to speak it out. "You aren't quite what you think you are, Kalu."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Kalu… you're not human."

Confusion spread in the girl's eyes as she heard her mother speak those words. She looked up with her big eyes in bewilderment. "I – I'm not… human? Then… what – how – You're a human, why aren't I?"

Sherry slightly nodded her head. "Yes, I am human, but—"

"—I'm not." spoke Brago. His daughter's eyes wandered from her mother and then over to him.

"You're not?"

"Kalu, you may not be one hundred percent human, but you do have human blood. You are half human and half mamodo." Sherry looked down at her daughter as she continued to ponder about that remark.

"What's a mamodo?" was the little girl's next question.

"I'm a mamodo." spoke her father. Kalu still didn't understand this, so he added on to the conversation. "Do you want to hear a story?" he asked.

The little girl seemed a little interested when he said 'story', but wondered what a tiny story had to do with her and her father not being human.

Sherry turned her attention to Brago, understanding what he was thinking. Telling a story would probably be the best way for Kalu to understand all this. At least Brago wasn't being too blunt about it all…

The dark mamodo nodded his head and started the little 'story'. "About thirteen years ago, before you were born, a war had been declared. This wasn't an ordinary war, but a battle for king that takes place every one thousand years. It was declared in a place called the mamodo world – where I am from. Many different beings such as I live there, and we also had a powerful king stating that the battle for mamodo king would be held in the human world – where you, your mother, and I are right now.

"During the time the battle was declared, I was one of the one hundred chosen mamodo children to take part in the battle." Brago paused as he saw his daughter slightly nod her head, showing that she understood what he was saying. "In the mamodo world, we have our own powers, or spells, that we could use whenever and wherever we wanted to use them. But before the battle actually started, we were told that when we arrived into the human world our powers would not function properly—"

"What does function mean?" interrupted Kalu. Brago looked off to the side with an annoyed look, for he did not enjoy being interrupted too well. He sighed as his wife gave the answer, and then continued.

"As I was saying, we were told that our powers would not work properly when we arrived into the human world. So the way we would have to use them was by pairing up with a human partner and have them read out of special spell books to call out the spells. However, if our books ever happened to get burned during the mamodo battle, we would be sent back to our world and disqualified from the battle."

A look of remembrance took place on Kalu's features as her father talked about the spell books. She thought about to when the other two strange people had a book with them and one called out funny things from the book, and when she had burnt it the other being disappeared in thin air. But wasn't the battle over? So why was he there?

"This is also the time when I first met Sherry." Brago turned his head and motioned towards the blonde. "Though I wasn't the first mamodo she encountered."

Sherry shuddered at the memory of her best friend being controlled by a mamodo who was just sickening. The memories of Zophise and Koko being paired up with in the battle for mamodo king were definitely a thought she'd rather not think about. "Brago saved me from my best friend who was being controlled by another mamodo. She had tried to kill me, but he saved me just in time." she said.

"Who was she?" Kalu asked.

"My friend? Her name is Koko, I've been friends with her since my childhood, but I lost track with her a couple of years ago." A sad look took over Sherry's face as she thought about not speaking to her friend in a while. Brago began speaking again as the blonde continued to think about Koko.

"After we met I had given Sherry my black spell book and we formed somewhat of an alliance. I had promised her that I would get her friend back and that she would make me king… although one promise wasn't accomplished…" At this he gave a look over at the blonde who only shrugged. "I never ended up king, but at least one promise was completed. Her friend was soon freed from the mamodo who had taken control of her and soon began reliving a normal life. And as time went by my relationship with Sherry improved, and during the final battle for king we lost. Though the winner was kind enough to let me stay here with Sherry, and a few years later you were born."

The dark mamodo then looked down at his daughter, who was staring at the ground. Her eyes were shaking and she had an odd look about her. Then she glanced upwards and asked the question, "But what's a mamodo exactly?"

"A demon, you could say." answered Sherry. Kalu's eyes widened and she turned her attention over to her father and then back to her mother.

"D-demon?" she echoed, her voice almost croaking. So… that's what she was? She was half human and demon, or as her parents said, mamodo?

"Kalu, I know this is probably difficult for you, but please don't get worked up over it." said Sherry calmly. She was about to rest her hand on her daughter's shoulder when she suddenly stood up quickly.

Kalu said nothing, but darted away from her mother and father and ran right out the door. She ran deeper into the house to go hide. The blonde just turned around to face her husband as Kalu ran off.

"Well… we told her. Now what?"

"We'll just have to wait and see what happens next." responded the dark mamodo. "But I do know that I would like to train her a little, just to make her stronger and have more control of her powers." He folded his arms and leaned against the wall behind him.

This statement made the blonde shake her head with disapproval. "No, I don't want her to be trained. At least not yet. It was only yesterday when she was attacked, and we didn't even get to tell her about how she inherited those powers from you. Kalu doesn't even know she has a second spell, only one. Although she refers to it as a 'strange light', in a way she knew that she did it."

"That's the reason _why_ she needs to be trained. The sooner the better." Brago unfolded his arms and stood up strait. "I want to train her."

"And I don't want you to." Sherry said defensively. "She may be your daughter but she's mine as well! I don't want you trainer her just yet."

Brago shook his head. "Sherry, it's for the better."

"No it is not! How can you be so sure of this?" she inquired. "Kalu only just found out! I'm sure she's probably very confused right now and just needs a little space. After all Brago, she's turning six in a week."

Hearing herself say that made Sherry think about just how old her daughter was. Currently she was five, but she had forgotten that in only a week she would be six. Kalu was maturing and growing, it made her a little upset for the fact that this all seemed like an early nightmare as a birthday present for the girl.

The dark mamodo only sighed and shook his head. "Fine, you win." he said. "But I still want to train her. Maybe after a week or two after her birthday passes, I'll start training her. You win this time."

Brago was about to walk away when Sherry stopped him. "No, I didn't win anything. I'm just saying what is good for our Kalu!"

"Like I said, you win." And with that, the dark mamodo walked off. Sherry flushed with annoyance a little and just shook her head.

Seriously, he could be so difficult at times…

The blonde sighed and then returned her thoughts to the little girl that was somewhere inside the house. Oh, if only she had taken this a little easier and saved the stress for not just her, but for Sherry as well. Brago seemed to be handling it well in his own strange way, but she wasn't managing it as well as him.

So the woman began walking in hopes to find her daughter and try to reassure her, before anything else out of the ordinary happened.

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_There it is! Not really a cliffhanger, but it'll still leave all of you readers/reviewers waiting! haha!_

_anyways... ON TO MY REVIEWERS!_

**_Blood of the Wolf: _**_Hahaha... chocolate supply... funny! -smiles- Yes Brago's still a softie! Heheheh... You'll also see a tad bit more of Kalu's reaction in the next chappy... so I'm making you wait! HA!_

**_Rae: _**_Um, I don't think there's anybody that you would dislike in this story that will be of any importance. And the reason why I had Brago/Sherry not tell Kalu what she was is because they (mostly Sherry) believed she was too young to understand, so they waited... yeah... Oh, and before I forget, a reviewer (Sara) is talking to you 'bout something I don't know..._

**_Wolf of the Blue Moon: _**_You'll see a lil' more of Kalu's reaction (note just a lil') in the next chappy. So I'm not going to tell you and I'm just going to make you wait! HAHAHAHA!_

**_PsychicLunar: _**_Noo not another cliffy! Well, i s'pose that everybody deserves it because everybody does cliffhangers... heh... Anyways, you'll see just an itsy bit more of how she reacts in the next chappy as well!_

**_pyro: _**_Here's the next chappy!_

**_Sara: _**_Brago's not becoming hard and stern again... maybe just a lil' bit cuz he's concerned for his daughter (and that's why he's a softie!). Brago: -glares- Will you shut the hell up already! I AM NOT A SOFTIE! Me: Then why is it you are concerned for your daughter? Brago: Because that's what fathers are supposed to do! Me: -stares- Y'know, what you said right there sounded like you were saying "because I'm a dad and i'm supposed to be soft!" Brago: ...Huh! What! Me: -snickers- Wouldn't you agree Sara? XD_

**_Emria: _**_I've said this before in a different story, BRAGO TORTURING IS SOO MUCH FUN:D_

_WELL PEOPLES! It's the next chappy! Now you all are just going to have to think of what might happen next... In the meantime, i'm just going to go think about sushi and re-read over and over again different BragoSherry stories!_

_Brago: Since when was my love-life any of your concern?_

_Me: ho HO! SO HE ADMITS IT!_

_Brago: wha - what? What the hell is the "ho ho he admits it" all about, anyways!_

_Me: You finally admited you DO have a love-life of course! Silly Braggy..._

_Brago: First of all, if I'm a father in this story and your other one, then of course i have to have a love-life! Second, MY NAME IS NOT BRAGGY! Idiotic ningen..._

_Me: I AM NOT IDIOTIC! My brain just doesn't always stay turned on.And besides, my B-day is tommorow so I'm just going to torture you as an early present for me from me!_

_Brago: ...Tommorow's your B-what?_

_Me: B-day, Brago, means BIRTHDAY!_

_Zatch: Happy B-day then! B-days sound like so much FUN!_

_Me: They are! Although I have no Earthly idea what I'm doing besides going out to dinner to eat sushi and yellow tail and--_

_Zatch: -drools- YELLOW TAIL! GIMME GIMME GIMME!_

_Me; NOOOOO! KEEP AWAY FROM **MY** DINNER! BAD ZATCH! DOWN! DOWN! DOWN!_

_Zatch: But I wanna eat some yellow tail... -sobs-_

_Me: Eh, I like yellow tail, even though I like unagi (eel) better..._

_Brago: -tip-toes off-_

_Me: Now where do you think YOU'RE going!_

_Brago: Uh..._

_Me: You're still looking for Kalu, aren't you? Or is it Sherry?_

_Brago: ..._

_Me: Cat got your tongue again?_

_Brago: Stupid human phrases..._

_ANYHOW... I'LL BE BACK WITH THE NEXT CHAPTER SOON! Hope you all liked this chapter! I amgoing to go read more BragoSherry stories now! Ta ta!_

_Twilight Memories has now signed off._


	10. Hiding in the Night

_I feel like I'm about to fall asleep... -yawns- Ah well, might as well update this and maybe I'll do something esle or go to bed..._

_After a long day of boring old school, I do bring good news (for me, anyways) I'M NOW TRACKED OUT AND THAT MEANS NO SCHOOL FOR 3 WEEKS! YAAAY:D No more school for me! No more school for me:-)_

_Now, let's get on with the chapter!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Zatch Bell. If I did... well... let's just say I don't and end it there._

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**Gift**** from the Dark**

**Chapter 9**

**Hiding in the Night**

Kalu darted away quickly from her mother and father and ran right out the door. She ran through the hallway leading from her room and down the corridor. Where she was heading, she did not quite know, but it was somewhere.

Anyplace better than where her parents were was just fine with her.

The little girl skidded to a halt when she came to the end of the hallway. In front of her was just a couch beside a lamp. So she began running in a different direction, and soon found herself at the door of her mother and father's bedroom.

She slowly walked in, and peeped her head through the door. Nobody was in there, they were probably still back in her room.

Taking quiet steps, Kalu walked into the bedroom. It was fairly large, and a big bed was in the center of the room. A bookshelf was on one side with a dresser on the other, along with a few other things including a fancy carpet on the floor.

Turning her head, Kalu saw nobody behind her, so she walked deeper into the room. This would be a good place to hide, she thought to herself. Her parents would never expect her to be in here…

The little girl then headed over to the side of the bed where a small table with doors stood. Curiosity was calling at her right at that moment, and she pulled the door open.

At first, she thought that there was nothing in it but the pitch-black darkness of the night seeping into the spaces of the door, but she was mistaken. After taking a good look at what was inside, Kalu realized she was staring at a book as dark as night.

She tilted her head to the side, and gingerly picked up the book in her hands and examined the front cover. It was in a language she had never seen before... what did it mean? Her eyes suddenly widened as a thought penetrated into her mind.

Could this be the spell book that her mother and father used in the battle for mamodo king...?

Her eyes widened a little more as she stared at the black book in her hands. Then gently, she flipped open the book and skimmed through the lines. It was the same language, but yet she couldn't understand it. There were a few things she could read, though, like the first line...

She stared hard at the first line, trying to see what it could mean. Reis? What was that? Was it a spell that her father could use if her mother called out the spell?

Kalu didn't call out the spell, for worry that she might accidentally be able to read from the book and call out her father's spell and make him do something regretful. So she spoke not and just continued to skim through the list of spells.

"I see you've found my book."

The little girl's head spun around quickly as she heard the sounds of her father's voice call out to her. She closed the book silently and just stared up into her father's identical cloudy eyes.

She said nothing as he leaned against the wall and folded his arms as he let out a sigh. Soon as he did that, Brago began to speak again.

"That book really brings back memories, you know." he said. "I remember when I first gave it to your mother right after I saved her. She never let it out of her sight afterwards."

Kalu still had her back facing her father, and she did not turn around to face him either. She lowered her head, and some of her blue-black hair fell past her eyes. A small tear trickled down her cheek, and she wiped it away with the purple cloth of her sleeve.

Brago tilted his head to the side as he head his daughter sniff, but said nothing.

Finally, after a minute, Kalu spoke in a soft voice. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Tell you?" repeated Brago. "About what? You not being completely human? Or the fact you have demon blood?"

"Both!" cried the little girl as she stood up. Her hand grasped the air around her and formed into a fist, which then she realized she left her teddy back in her room, and had nothing to hold. So she wrapped her arms around herself in a hugging-like way.

"Kalu, your mother and I were planning on waiting at a time when you were older to tell you." responded the dark mamodo. "That way you would understand better."

"But I still don't understand!" Kalu cried, tears streaming down her face. "Why, Daddy? Why did you not tell me sooner? I would have been happier that way!"

"Kalu, that has nothing to do with—"

"Yes, it does!" The little girl stomped her foot in an upset manner and frowned. "You just don't get it!"

"I'm sure I do get it, but Kalu, listen to me."

"No!"

"You're going to listen whether you like it or not." said Brago sternly. His daughter said nothing afterwards, but gave a childish pout and sat back down. Then he began to speak again. "Your mother and I loved each other, Kalu. And I spent many years waiting until we were both ready to have a family. And during the time when we were not married, and when the battle for king was over, we had spent much time together, talking about different things.

"One of the things we had talked about was having a child, and eventually we did have one. I'm sure this is something you won't understand for a while, good reasons why, too, but listen to me. It is a good thing that you did not know until now. Otherwise, you could have turned out differently, and neither your mother nor I would want that. We love you the way you are, Kalu." He sighed and shoo k his head.

More tears streamed down the pale-skinned girl's face. "But I still don't get it!" she said unhappily.

"You will in time."

At this cue, Sherry walked up to where Kalu and Brago were. She looked down at her daughter, who looked up into her azure eyes. Tears fell down the girl's face, and she began to cry out loudly and ran up to her mother for a hug.

Sherry embraced her, and looked from her daughter to her husband. Neither of them said anything as the little girl continued to weep in her mother's arms.

Eventually, Kalu cried herself to sleep, and Sherry carried her to her room and laid her down on the soft bed. She tucked in the girl tight right after giving her the teddy bear she greatly adored, and stepped away to look upon her.

"Do you think she will be alright?" she asked Brago quietly as they both watched their daughter sleep.

He nodded his head. "Yes, and she will learn to understand more about why we didn't tell her. She has your human blood, which makes her not see the meaning as well."

The blonde shot Brago a look right when he said that. "And what's that supposed to mean?" she asked. "Blood has nothing to do with this, Brago."

He only rolled his eyes and began walking away. "Whatever."

"Don't you 'whatever' me!" said Sherry as she followed him. "She's just a little girl, and needs time to understand."

"Which I have already stated."

"Yeah, but… Oh, forget it! You're hopeless!" Sherry waved her hands in the air in a giving-up manner and just sighed. As she and Brago walked around the corner, the blonde glanced back to her daughter's room and whispered to herself. "Sleep tight and sweet dreams, Kalu."

And with that, she walked off following the dark mamodo.

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_There's the next chappy! Hope you peeps enjoyed it! Now, I'm going to get on with the reviews and then plop my head on my desk and take a nap only to leave weird marks on my skin..._

_**Blood of the Wolf: **Hey, you're right, that isn't a good story! But what would you expect from him? OOOOOHHHH! BIRTHDAY SONG! XD -gives Brago a death hug around the next- Domo arigato! Did you know Brago can't sing, though...? Brago: It was CHOCOLATE! -.- Me: Yes, yes, that's nice._

_**Rae: **I wonder if Sherry had ever gotten lost in the house when she was lil'? Haha! XD_

_**PsychicLunar: **Strangely enough, sushi happens to be my favorite food. o.O and it used to be my least, but that was when i was afraid to try raw fish... OKies, now I updated and you updated earlier, we're all even:-)_

_**Emria: **Eel is good! Just as long as it's the freshwater eel on sushi... -mouth drools- Now I kinda want some... if only it wasn't 11 something at night and me not being full, then maybe I'd get some... XD_

_**pyro: **Thank you:-) And here's the next chapter!_

_Well anyways, there's the responses and whatnot... sorry if i missed anybody (I don't think I did...) But it is late at night and my brain isn't thinking strait... X.x_

_Well, I guess I'll be heading off to sleep now... ta ta for now!_

_Oh, and a last note, a Japanese exchange student is coming over to my house Saturday, so I probably won't update any stories in a while, so... yeah... sorry but I gotta do other things too, ya know!_

_BYE!_


	11. Kalu's Decision

_Yes, I am glad I am finding time to write on my fics while my guest is here! Yay for me:-)_

_Well, seeing that my brain is not working because I am rather hungry at the moment, I'm just gonna get this over with so i can get a bite to eat...NOW ON WITH THE CHAPTER!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Zatch Bell. If I did... well... let's just say I don't and end it there._

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Gift from the Dark

**Chapter 10**

**Kalu's Decision**

It was the next day, and around mid-afternoon. Sherry was not home, for she had to go somewhere to buy something. Brago, however, had stayed to keep an eye on Kalu.

The little girl was still acting strange, now knowing that she was half human and mamodo. She was not feeling happy or hyper like normal, but was in a rather moody state. Kalu was not talking too much, and whenever she spotted one of her parents she would run off to hide and avoid them.

And it was not known whether she had lunch or not, since she was hiding most of the day. Brago and Sherry had managed to wake the little girl up and get her to eat breakfast, but soon as she was done she disappeared.

Brago could easily find the girl if he wanted to, but he was letting her have her space. He knew that he wouldn't get her to talk too much anyways even if he found her and forced her to stay with him.

So that's how it was for the day. Sherry had been gone since morning, Kalu was off hiding somewhere, and Brago was just hanging out and thinking.

Though, at the moment, the dark mamodo had decided to look for his daughter. It was about time she came out of hiding anyways…

He was outside, and he turned his head around and sensed Kalu was close by. After a few more minutes of walking, he sensed that the little girl was very close; actually, she was right where he was.

But he did not see her. So he turned his head this way and that, looking for her. Then his gaze went upwards up into the tree right next to him.

There was Kalu.

As quietly as he could, Brago jumped up and climbed into the tree to where his daughter was. Hearing something new, the girl turned her head and was surprised to see her father there. She tried to jump out of the tree to run away and hide again, but Brago grabbed her by the arm.

"Kalu, you're not going to go hide again. You will stay here." the mamodo commanded to his daughter.

"No...!" The girl tugged at her arm in a desperate attempt to free it, but her father's inhuman grip was too strong for her, so she gave up in defeat. "Daddy, me want to go somewhere else." she said quietly.

"I know you do, but I want you here."

This time she really gave up, and decided that Brago wouldn't allow her to leave. She sighed and leaned her back against the trunk of the tree as she folded her arms with a pout.

Silence fell upon the two as they just sat in the branches of the tree. Kalu continued pouting, and Brago just stayed where he was as he kept an eye on his daughter.

After a while, he noticed Kalu was shaking a little. Turning his head to the side, Brago gave a look. "What's on your mind, Kalu?"

"Nothing." she immediately responded back. Brago shook his head in disagreement.

"No, there's something on your mind that's troubling you. What is it?" His red orbs peered down at the girl as she closed her eyes and opened them again.

"I… I don't know." she finally said. She raised her hand to observe the back of it. "Me can't say what. But…" she trailed off. "I had a strange light come out of my hand the other day… you remember?"

Brago nodded his head. "Yes, I remember."

"Why did it come out of my hand? …What was it?" Her clouded purple orbs turned upwards to gaze into Brago's clouded red ones.

"It was a spell." responded Brago. Kalu looked up at him with curiosity.

"A spell?"

He nodded his head again. "Yes, that was a spell. It's a Reis spell, to be exact. And you were given that spell from me."

"You gave it to me?" the little girl inquired.

"No, not by choice. You… inherited it."

Another silence fell upon the father and daughter, and they just continued to stare out into the grounds. Kalu sighed and a small tear trickled down her cheek.

"I don't want it." she said. The dark mamodo looked down at her with interest and questioned what she said. Kalu answered him. "I don't want the spell. The... Reis spell is it? Me no want it."

Brago looked down at her. An odd look was in her eyes and she was still shaking. He wrapped an arm around the girl and held her close. "You'll have to learn to deal with it, Kalu. I can't do anything about it, and neither can your mother. Nobody can."

A sad look overwhelmed the little girl's face. "Then find a way." She closed her eyes and leaned against her father.

Suddenly a car pulled up in the driveway, and Sherry stepped out of the backseat in her limo. Brago took Kalu in his arms and hopped down from the tree and landed right next to his wife.

"Oh, hello Brago. I see you found Kalu." said the blonde as she motioned towards their daughter.

The dark mamodo nodded and let the girl climb on his shoulders for another piggy-back-ride. She rested her chin on the top of his head and sighed.

So the family of three walked over to the Belmond mansion and entered the house to go on with their day. However, unbeknownst the tem, a figure stood watching from the shadows and let out a cackle.

"Insufferable fools." it mumbled. A few more laugh escaped the figure's lips, and soon it disappeared into the shadows.

* * *

_Ooh... I bet you all are wondering who that figure is! Well, NOT TELLING! AHAHAHA!_

_Brago: -stares- You've been acting strange lately._

_Me: I have...?_

_Brago: Yes, you have. Do i need to repeat that to you again?_

_Me: Nope! I'm good! -smiles real big-_

_Brago: Strange..._

_Ah well... NOW ON TO MY REVIEWERS!_

_**PsychicLunar: **Heh, I've actually found time to write on some stories! I thought that I would be really busy with other things since she is here... but i guess not! Actually, it's just in the afternoon when I'm doing other things... I can get on in the morning and whatnot... Maple syrup, ice cream and M n' M's...? O.O Thas'a lot of sugar..._

_**Rae: **Yeah, i have one coming. In fact, she's already here! But at the moment she's learning English at another place (dunno where she is at the moment). I don't think she'd really like fanfics... She doesn't really seem like the type who would read 'em... And, sorry, but I'm not going to put you in the story. OK? I want to keep it with just the regular Zatch Bell characters and maybe a few made up ones... sorry._

_**Wolf of the Blue Moon: **Here's the next chapter._

_**Crying White Wolf: **Well, i dunno really what to say... The student has told me a lot of things, and the problem is i can't remember all of it... But she brought this really tasty snack that tastes like cake but it is actually a potato! Don't remember the name of it though..._

_**Wolf Called Killer: **Yes, it does seem like forever! Heh, you must have been reading for a while. :-)_

_**Sara: **I just turned 13 on that Thursday. When did you just turn 13? Oh, and that must have been a lot of work, trying to keep up with those little kids. My mom told me something about how scientists or whatever took a bunch of professional football players and put them in a room full of 5-year olds and told them to do one thing only: mimic everything they do. They left them in there for an hour, and when they came back the football players were totally tired and exhausted! Funny..._

_**Computerfreak101: **Well look who it is! I'm glad you like it!It seems you have been annoying Brago a lot... Good for you:-) Brago: -glares- She's been doing this to me as well. Why is everybody annoying me here lately? Me: I told you already, it's a game! Or... at least **I** think it is! Oh, and you wanted to see a picture of Kalu, yes? Well, I don't have a homepage, but I could send the picture to you via email, would that be alright? And thank you! You know what... The Japanese exchange student came over, and i had already told her that I like Zatch Bell/Konjiki no Gash Bell, and she brought KONJIKI NO GASH BELL MANGA AND TOYS! HAHAHAHA! -.-_

_**pyro: **I will! Hehe... we went to a baseball game yesterday and i got hyper after a while on cotton candy... yum..._

_**Emria: **You should try it! It is really good! I was hesitant to try it at first... but now i love it!_

_**Luminara Corde Windu: **Did I get the name right...? You sent me an email saying you would like to see a pic of Kalu, yes? Sorry i didn't respond soon enough, but I was busy and I had forgotten about it until just now... -shakes head- Sorry, well, soon as I'm done updating this I'll send you a pic. I'd like to see a review from you, too! Please...?_

_OKIES, well, now that that's over, I'm gonna go get a snack or something... I'll see you reviewers later!_

_Brago: Can I have some chocolate...?_

_Me: Why are you asking me this?_

_Brago: -looks off to the side- Because YOU hide the chocolate._

_Me: For a good reason, i might add! I'm not giving you any chocolate, go ask Sherry or something._

_Brago: FINE! -growls and storms off-_

_Ok, ROR REAL I am signing off. Bye!_

_Twilight Memories has now signed off._


	12. Taking Preparations

_Hello, I'm back with another chapter, peeps!_

_Well, can't really think of much to say, so let's just get on with the chapter!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Zatch Bell. If I did... well... let's just say I don't and end it there._

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Gift from the Dark

**Chapter 11**

**Taking Preparations**

Four days had passed since Brago and Sherry told Kalu the truth of what she and Brago really were. It was around late morning, and the half mamodo girl was off playing with her toys outside, while her parents were talking to one another somewhere else.

"She'll be turning six in just two days," spoke Sherry. "We need to plan at least _something_ for the girl."

The dark mamodo only shrugged. "You're the one who knows about these so called parties, so do speak of what you have in mind." Sherry gave him a look as he said that and sighed. "What?"

"Brago, she's your daughter too. And after about six years of being a parent you still don't know how to throw a celebration?"

"Apparently not."

His wife only sighed with annoyance again and rolled her eyes. Whatever. But seriously, help me out this time.

"Tell me what to do first."

"Brago!"

"Yes?"

With another sigh of annoyance Sherry just waved her hand off at her husband. "OK, OK, fine. There is one thing you can do." The blonde looked her husband in the eye and continued. "I want you to go pick up Kalu's present. Can you at least do that?"

Brago didnt say anything as a blank stare took over his features. Pick up her present? he echoed while Sherry nodded her head. But Sherry

"No buts," Sherry interrupted. "You're going to pick up her present while I go buy some other things for her. The cooks will make the cake and she'll be happy enough."

The mamodo only sighed as his wife gave a triumphant smile. "Fine. I'll get it."

"Good. And try not to scare away the people at the store like you did last time. I still have to go buy the decorations and—"

"What is it with you humans and decorations?" Brago muttered to himself. The other just glared and continued to talk about a few other things. He partially ignored Sherry as he turned his head to look over at his daughter in the background, who was playing with her teddy bear beside a tree.

Kalu held onto her teddy and jumped up into a nearby tree. She began talking to it as if it were a real person and began answering questions to herself that she pretended the bear asked.

Then she clambered up the tree's branches to reach the very top of it, and looked around as her blue-black hair showed through the green leaves of the tree. A small breeze met her up there and soon drifted away. Suddenly she sensed something nearby, and turned her head in the direction where she sensed it.

There was nothing there.

That's weird, Kalu thought. So she shrugged and climbed back down to the bottom of the tree and ran across the yard to where she could sense whatever it was she was feeling.

When she reached the spot, she could no longer feel the presence of the being for it had vanished. With a sigh, Kalu sat down onto the grass and began to play with her bear.

Meanwhile, Brago was heading off to a store nearby to pick up the present. Sherry had handed him some money and reminded him how to use it. He tried to pay attention, but knew something was going to happen and that hed do something regretful.

Why am I doing this again, he thought. That's right, it's because Sherry has to buy stupid decorations. What is the point in them?

He shrugged and continued along his way. Sherry watched from the background as her husband ran off. She would wait to go shopping for the extra things soon as Brago came back, that way she could keep an eye on Kalu while he was gone.

The woman then walked up to where her daughter was sitting in the grass and smiled down at her. "Hello, Kalu. Having fun?"

Shrugging, the little girl only flopped onto her back into the grass. "I think so." she said quietly, and turned her head around. "Where'd Daddy go?"

"He… he had to go buy something."

Kalu raised her eyebrow. "Really?"

Sherry laughed and sat down next to her daughter. "Well, no. Actually, he had to go pick something up."

"What was it?"

"You'll find out soon enough."

"OK…" Kalu sat back up and held her teddy close to her and then looked up into her mother's azure orbs. "Do I start school soon?"

Hearing her daughter say that reminded Sherry. She nodded her head silently and watched her daughter go back to playing with her bear.

At first she had her daughter be taught at home with home schooling, but decided to put her into a class with other children her age. This way Kalu would have friends to talk to, and wouldnt be alone like she was at her age. However, there was one thing that worried her, and that was Kalus powers and her looks. But Brago would have probably trained her by the time she started school (and Sherry still didnt quite agree with this, but had given up on the argument), so that would be under control. Though her looks would just have to stay the same, even if they were a little inhuman looking. Blue-black hair wasnt exactly common, and surely there wouldnt be another person in class with markings on their face.

Sherry sighed and patted her daughter on the back. "You're a good girl, you know that?" Kalu smiled and nodded her head as she hugged her mother.

Kalu then looked up at her mother again. "Mamma, me thirsty."

Nodding her head, Sherry stood up and took her daughter's hand. "OK, com on. Let's go get something for you."

So the two walked off and headed towards the house to get something to drink.

* * *

_There ya go! Who can guess what the next chapter will be? I bet it's obvious, considering what this chapter was about... hehe._

_Now... ON TO MY REVIEWERS!_

_**Blood of the Wolf: **Eww... You got eaten! HAHAHAHAHA! I have sympathy for you (Ok not really). Is Brago becoming a cannibal? Ooh... punishment... punishment... What could be a REALLY good punishment for Brago? Hm... (thinks for about a few minutes)I GOT ONE! Make Brago confess that he likes... No, LOVES Sherry right in front of her and anybody who is listening! HEEHEE! XD And then as side punishments reduce his chocolate supply or make him sing... Who's Mr. Teddy? Whoever he is, reminds me of Kalu's teddy bear... Kalu: -looks around- Why would Daddy eat my teddy? Brago: Uh... Me: Because he's just weird like that. Brago: HEY! Me: HEEHEE!_

_**Crying White Wolf: **But the potato tasted really good:-) Well, here's the next chapter!_

_**Wolf of the Blue Moon: **Nah, I don't think i'd send it to them to put it in the manga. I mean, its just a pic of a character I made up that's supposed to be Sherry and Brago's child... Other people would find me weird for doing that. But besides that, i didn't know you could do that!_

_**Sara: **I'm sure it is worth it when you get paid... but I sometimes have to watch over my lil' 5 year old cousin when I go to visit her and my grandparents, and i don't get paid! -poiuts- All well... And I'm keeping out of that argument! o.O And thank you again for the positive thoughts:-)_

_**Computerfreak101: **Brago's right, i'm not telling nothing! HAHA! The only problem with the manga is that it's in Japanese so i have no idea what the heck they're saying... BUT it is taking place within the first like... 4 episodes so I have a pretty good idea what's going on. Though I would like to know what they were saying, ah well. Its from Japan and its how its meant to be so its worth keeping besides it was a gift:-) What's wrong with Brago? He's pretty cool, just as long as you know how to make fun of him... XD_

_**Rae: **No you can't kill the figure yet! YA don't even know who it is! Anyways, here's the next chapter!_

_**PsychicLunar: **Two a day is better than none! You have to at least admit that! And I can understand what you mean by that... I crave 'em too... I'll be constantly getting on the computer to see if I have any. -.- No I don't have any sushi with me... Go steal some yellow tail from Zatch, I'm sure he has some XD_

_**pyro: **Haha, i guess so. :-) Well, here's the next chappy!_

_**angel161991:**Glad you like it! And here's the next chappy!_

_**Luminara Windu: **Should I just call you Lumy for short now? It's up to you. I don't care too much either way.Don't worry, you'll find out who the person in the shadows is eventually! (not saying when)._

_**Alison: **WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU? Why are you all of a sudden saying my stories are shit? WHAT DID I EVER DO TO YOU? I have gotten TWO reviews from you now saying my stories/poems are bad. THEN WHY DO YOU READ THEM? I would really appreciate itif you would just stop reviewing ALL of my stories/poems. I don't know what your problem is, but I could care less whether I found out or not._

_**dark traner: **I'm glad you like it! And here's the next chapter!_

_**Misty: **Thank you for the compliments! It really makes me feel better about my story. :-)_

_Twelve positive reviews! COOL! XD Well, i'll be signing off right about now. I have to go and do something for a bit and it's already late! I have to pack for the beach tommorow! YAY!_

_And if you haven't gotten the pic of Kalu yet anybody who wants it, just say so and i'll send it to you via email! Just make sure I'm able to get yours!_

_Well, once again i am finding myself saying i need to go, so now i really am leaving! TA TA FOR NOW:-)_


	13. Happy Birthday

_Hello peoples! Sorry i haven't updated in a while but i've been busy with school and other stories! Well, here's the next chapter after the nice, long wait! It's another one of the longer chapters in this story, so enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Zatch Bell. If I did... well... let's just say i don't and end it there._

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Gift from the Dark

**Chapter 12**

**Happy Birthday**

Brago was walking back to his home with a small portable box in his hand. He glared down at it with a grumble and mumbled something to himself.

Back at the store he had been to he had a slight difficulty with the shop keepers. They had taken one good look at him and had yelped in fright, saying things like "There's a demon in our store!" or something similar to that.

_The dark mamodo looked up at the sign on the door and remembered the name of the store that Sherry had told him. Written in big, black letters was the name of the store, so he sighed and walked through the door._

_Hearing the jingling sound on the door, a small plump man looked over with a smile on his face. "Welcome to Patrick's—Oh my word!" He stared wide-eyed at the mamodo in a strange expression as Brago walked through the door._

"_I'm here to pick up something." said Brago flatly. He stared with a slightly amused look as the plump little man scrambled around backwards and fell to the floor._

"_Lou! There's a demon in our store!" cried the shopkeeper. As he said those words another small, plump person walked through the door, instead this time it was a woman._

"_Patrick, what do you want?" the plump woman asked. She looked over at the scene and her eyes widened. "Oh!" she squeaked, taking a good look at Brago. "Goodness! What is happening here? What do you want with us?"_

_With a smirk, Brago rolled his eyes and looked around the room until his ruby eyes fell into contact with the others, who stared at him with a strange look. "I said I'm here to pick up something."_

"_Well we don't want to pick a fight with you!" blubbered the woman. "Be gone!"_

_This only made Brago slightly irritated. OK, so they weren't exactly friendly with him. He just wanted to get Kalu's present and be over with it. "I believe you must have me mistaken," he began. "I'm here to pick up something my wife ordered. Perhaps you have it?" The others still didn't seem to understand him, so he continued. "Does the name 'Belmond' ring any bells?"_

_At this last statement, the two smaller plump people's eyes widened in realization. "Oh, yes we've heard of the name!" said Patrick._

"_So… You're Sherry Belmond's husband?" asked Lou. When Brago nodded his head, she murmured quietly to herself so only she could here. "I didn't know that the millionaire would have married somebody so…frightening…"_

_However, Patrick heard her so he nudged her in the arm with his elbow. "Quiet, Lou. You don't want to anger this man."_

"_So, can I pick up what I need?" inquired Brago as he tapped his foot with impatience. The other two nodded their heads and they began to get the present._

The mamodo smirked to himself. It was strange how humans could get flustered up over the simplest things so easily. But Sherry wouldn't be too happy knowing that he scared more people again…

Brago glanced down at the box in his hands and then looked ahead. Kalu would definitely like her gift. After a while, the mamodo spotted his home and headed that way.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Two days had passed; Sherry and Brago had gotten a room set up in the house and filled it with decorations (Actually it was Sherry who did this. Brago just watched – which didn't make Sherry too happy but she forced him to do a few things.).

"I hope this is a good birthday for Kalu," spoke Sherry as she put a lid over a fairly large cake with different colored icings. "I mean, here lately it's been difficult for her. She's now aware that she's a different person than she thought she was."

"Hn," Brago looked around in the room they were in and sighed. "I suppose it's like how one of your human sayings goes: You either sink or you swim."

The blonde glared and Brago put on a confused look.

"What?"

"I don't think that that was completely necessary, Brago."

"It's only the truth."

"Whatever, but seriously this is something special for Kalu. We need to give her a good birthday party."

"You call this a party?"

"Party or no party, it's still going to be something nice for her." Sherry sighed and shook her head. "Honestly, you can be so difficult at times…"

The mamodo smirked and continued to examine the room. There were three balloons over in the corner just to add a little decoration, and a small sign that read 'Happy Birthday Kalu' was over in a different spot. The colored cake that Sherry just now covered was placed on a table in the middle of the room. It wasn't that bad… Not that he really knew how a good party – if you'd call this a party – was supposed to be.

"So, where's the present?" Sherry finally asked, looking over at Brago.

"In the other room where I put it when I brought it here."

"Good. Now all we need to do is wait a little while longer for Kalu to wake up, eat dinner, and then we can show her the surprise." Sherry walked over to where a small door was, opened it, and peeked through. "Yes, still in there." She closed the door again and turned around. "I suppose that Kalu can wake up from her nap now. Dinner should be ready soon… I can smell it from here."

So the blonde began to walk out of the room as Brago followed. The cooks in the kitchen were just finishing up the meal when they walked by, and soon both were at the front of Kalu's door.

When Sherry entered the room she saw Kalu rolled over onto her side facing them with her eyes closed, sound asleep. Walking over to her, the mother placed her hand on her daughter's shoulder and lightly shook it.

"Wake up, Kalu. Dinner is about ready."

Slowly the hybrid child opened one eye and to look up at her mother. Then she opened the other and yawned. "Dinner ready?" she asked.

"Yes, now come on downstairs."

Kalu leisurely sat up from her cozy bed and slid off the mattress onto the floor. She landed on her feet lightly and looked from her mother and then to her father.

"Look who's up and about." the mamodo said with a smirk.

His daughter gave a small smile and gave him a hug. Brago slowly wrapped an arm around the little girl's shoulders while Sherry grinned. She always loved to see something as priceless as this going on with Brago and Kalu… it was so adorable. A long time ago she would have thought it strange with somebody like Brago.

"Come on, let's go downstairs." announced the dark mamodo. The three then headed downstairs where they found that the food was ready and was already served on the kitchen table. Two plates were set out, and Kalu and Sherry took their seats while Brago just sat in a chair without a plate in front of him (he still refused to eat cooked food).

They ate with conversation, and talked about many different things. Soon as they were done, one of the chefs entered the room and took up the plates while Kalu leaned back and sat contently in her seat. Sherry put on a grin and glanced over to where her husband was, and then looked over at Kalu.

"Did you like dinner, Kalu?" she asked and the little girl nodded. "Do you think you would have any room for some cake?"

The girl looked up with her clouded purple eyes and smiled. "You have cake?" she asked happily as her mother nodded. "Yes!"

Sherry smiled and stood up out of her seat. "Come on then, let's go get some." The other two stood up as well and headed for the room with the cake. When they reached there, Sherry turned around and smiled. "Happy birthday, Kalu." she said.

Looking around the room, Kalu had a smile on her face, and she turned her direction to her mother and father. "Thank you Mamma and Daddy!" she said happily. Her mother smiled with her father smirked. Kalu turned back around as she saw her mother walk over to where the lid was over the cake and removed it.

"What piece do you want, Kalu?" the blonde asked. The little girl said she wanted a corner piece, so the blonde cut her one and handed it to her on a paper plate. That's when she turned her head to Brago. "OK, I know you don't want any so I'll just get some for myself."

She cut her a small piece and began to eat it. It was a chocolate cake, Kalu's favorite, with colored frostings on top. Sherry laughed as she saw her daughter finish hers quickly.

"I'm assuming that you liked that." The girl nodded and smiled.

"Yes, thank you Mamma!"

With a smile Sherry finished up the last bit of her cake and threw the plate and plastic fork in the trash. Her attention was drawn to the dark mamodo and she smiled. "Brago, do you want to go get Kalu's present?"

He shrugged. "I guess." His daughter just watched with curiosity as he walked into the other room, and then something odd happened. Kalu sensed something alive in the room and couldn't tell what it was. Whatever it was, it wasn't human.

Moments later Brago re-emerged from the room carrying a small box with a few holes in it. The little girl sensed the life she felt coming from there, so she inquisitively walked up to where the box was and opened it as Brago set it down. She gasped in shock.

Inside was a small white kitten with a dark purple bow around her neck, and had bright green eyes. She looked up at Kalu and gave a small meow.

The little girl said nothing, but just looked down in awe at the kitten and began to stroke her soft fur. She then looked up at her parents and smiled. "Thank you!"

Sherry smiled and looked down at the scene with Kalu and her new pet kitten. "You like her?" she asked and the other nodded. "That's good. Are you going to name her?"

"Name her?" Kalu looked from her mother to her new pet. "Um…" she trailed off, staring into thought. After a while, she looked back up at her parents and smiled. "Yuki."

"Yuki?" Brago echoed. "Are you naming her that?" Kalu nodded and looked down at the small kitten.

"Yes, I like Yuki best."

Her parents smiled, and Sherry looked down at her daughter. It was really was a happy birthday.

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_There's the next chapter! Hope you enjoyed it! I'm not sure if i have too much time on here, so i'm not gonna say too much except for I'll try to update soon!_

_Now on to my reviewers!_

_**angel61991:** Glad you like it, and here's the next chapter!_

_**Blood of the Wolf:** Hell, well, and do tell... that rhymes! XD I like rhymes... Well I enjoyed that too. (sings) Brago loves Sherry, Brago loves Sherry! Brago: Grr... Get out of my love life with Sherry! Me: (gasp) Well what do you know, Blood! Brago admitted he has a love life with Sherry! Isn't that sweet? Brago: (flustering up) LEAVE ME ALONE! Me: AHAHAHAHAHAHA!_

_**Rae: **You'll be able to kill the character maybe sometime around the end of the story (Don't know when that'll be). But anyways here's the next chapter! And sorry for not updating soon..._

_**Crying White Wolf: **Here's the next chapter!_

_**Wolf of the Blue Moon: **Well, i'm still not gonna send it there. Anyways, heres the next chapter!_

_**Sara: **Hahaha, of course Brago and Sherry aren't boyfriend and girlfriend! THEY'RE HUSBAND AND WIFE! XD No really, haven't you seen that ring on Sherry's ring-finger on her hand? (looks around) It's gotta mean_ something_... Heheheh... Yes, send 'em away and have fun you two! Sherry: (blushing) Shut up..._

_**pyro the dark angel: **Yes I had fun! Now here's the next chappy!_

_**Wolf Called Killer: **Shh... I can't tell you who it is! Heheheh (evil smile)_

_**Luminara Windu:** I'll have Kalu start school soon... dunno what chapter it'll be, but it'll be soon:-)_

_**Computerfreak101: **Run! Run! Run before Brago catches you! Oh, i have an idea! (hands CF101 invisibility cloak) I believe you let me use that one time... Well now it'll be be in good use with you! (smiles). But the only problem with it is I can't read it... (sobs)_

_**PsychicLunar: **Speaking of sushi... (looks over at the counter not too far away) Mm... I think I'll go eat some after this. XD Sorry for not updating in a while!_

_**caslspirit15:** You better watch the TV show more! It's awesome! (drools asI think about episode 47 that hasn't aired yet) If you miss that episode, you'll have to face my wrath. XD (jk)_

_Well there ya have it people! The next chapter! Now if you'll excuse me i'm going to go eat some sushi... Yum..._

_I'm signing off. BYE!_


	14. Breaking Point

_AAAH! School and homework has been taking away my time to write all my precious fanfics! NO! IT CAN'T BE! (sobs)_

_Well, there ya have it. Sorry i haven't updated in a while... but if you want an excuse (glances up at the first sentence) Just use what i said..._

_Anywho, I finally got the English version of Zatch Bell volume one! YAY! I gots da Japanese and English now! WHOOHOO:D_

_OK, 'nuff of my bragging. Now who wants a nice lil' action packed (ok, not that big on the action in this one) chapter? THEN READ THIS ONE:-) (evil smirk)_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Zatch Bell. If I did... well... let's just say i don't and end it there._

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Gift from the Dark

**Chapter 13**

**Breaking Point**

Two days had passed since Kalu's birthday, and Kalu had grown quite fond of her new birthday present. She adored her new pet, Yuki, and the little kitten seemed to enjoy spending time with her as well.

The small feline would also sleep in a cat bed on the floor inside the half mamodo's room, and would wait until Kalu woke up and would follow her around.

Currently it was around the afternoon, and the little girl was outside playing with Yuki and her teddy bear. Brago and Sherry were off to the side talking and keeping an eye on their daughter.

"It seems Kalu's really enjoying her birthday present," commented Sherry. She turned her attention around to face her husband. "What do you think?"

"Hn, I suppose." Brago smirked as he watched Kalu lying down on the ground and Yuki hop over her, and the little girl began to pet the kitten.

With a smile, Sherry turned her head to face the scene, too. "Yeah… I think she is."

In the distance, Yuki laid down on the ground right next to Kalu and began to purr. The little girl just smiled and continued to pet the small white animal, and then went to playing with her teddy. She began talking to it again as if it was a real being, and would take the bear in her hand and make it look as if it was walking somewhere and would continue playing.

Suddenly, Kalu felt dizzy. The toy in her hand dropped to the grassy floor beneath her and she put her hand up to her eyes. A small pain shot through her head, and it vanished as quickly as it came. She blinked a few times as the dizzy feeling went away and shook her head.

Back to Brago and Sherry, they looked over to where Kalu was in puzzlement, but did not walk over to check on Kalu since she was now acting normal again.

Sherry took a sip of her champagne that she had with her and sighed. Her gaze averted up to the sky and she smiled. It was a beautiful day out, although it was getting late. The sun was still out, it was warm, and there were hardly any clouds in the sky above.

The blonde sighed and her smile faded away. "I wonder how Kalu will do when school first starts…" she mused. Brago turned his head around to face her and shrugged.

"Well don't ask me. I'm not sure how human schooling is, unless it's the teaching you gave Kalu here at home." he responded. Sherry just rolled her eyes at that comment.

"I think that you know nothing about a human." the blonde replied, glancing over to see how Brago would react.

He said nothing, but after a while a smirk crept up on his face. "I do know one thing…" he said idly.

Sherry smiled. "OK then, name one thing besides the fact that a human cannot match a mamodo."

Brago continued to stare at Sherry oddly with a smirk plastered onto his face. Sherry tilted her head to the side, patiently waiting for her husband's answer. After a moment's silence the mamodo spoke, but began to skate around his real answer. "I know something about a human…"

"Do tell." Sherry said with a laugh. I wonder what he's going to say, she pondered.

"Well," began the mamodo, "there's this one human I know that's married to me; do you know her?"

"I'm sure I do." Sherry smirked, knowing who Brago was talking about.

"Then you can ask _her_ what I do know about humans."

The blonde only stared at Brago oddly as he responded. "That's not an answer," she said. "You didn't answer."

"Yes I did."

"It wasn't that good, though."

"Oh well."

Sherry gave an exasperated sigh and shook her head. "What am I going to do with you?" she asked playfully.

The mamodo shrugged and smirked slightly. "You tell me."

Sherry smiled, but before anybody could do anything, there was a sudden shriek out in the distance. Brago and Sherry's heads spun around only to see Kalu in her play spot curled up on the ground into a ball with her hands holding onto her head. Her eyes were wide open in fear, and her eyes were contracted.

"Kalu!" shouted the two parents, but the girl didn't look up to respond to them, so they ran up to the little girl only to see her shaking and crying.

"What's wrong? Kalu? Come on, what's wrong, Kalu?" said Sherry, trying to get her daughter to respond. She shook her slightly with her hand but the girl still did not do anything new. "Kalu?"

"No… no… Make it stop… Make it stop, no…" the little girl began murmuring, some things were incoherent. "Mamma, Daddy, make it stop… no, make it stop…"

"Make what stop?" asked the dark mamodo, but the girl didn't say anything. Kalu closed her eyes and began to shake even more.

"Just make it stop…"

"Kalu?"

But the girl did not respond. Quickly, her eyes jolted open and she let out a horrified scream. Yuki ran off to go hide from all the commotion and screaming that Kalu was causing. The kitten peered from under a bush at the little girl, who continued to scream.

"Kalu!" Brago put his hands on his daughter's shoulders, but suddenly energy burst out from the girl. He was pushed to the ground slightly from this abrupt power, but he slowly managed to sit back up. Sherry, on the other hand, wasn't having too much luck, so Brago pushed her out of the energy's path.

The blonde stared wide-eyed at what was going on. The purple energy was surrounding Kalu and Brago, and when she looked more closely, her eyes widened even more in realization.

"It's the Gravi Rei…" she mumbled. Brago heard her and nodded his head.

"I know." he said as he tried to get Kalu to stop screaming.

"Daddy, make it stop! Make it stop!" cried the hybrid child. "No! Make it stop!" The girl's purple orbs disappeared as she closed her eyes and screamed again.

"Brago, what are we going to do?" Sherry asked the mamodo, and he was silent for a moment. After a few more seconds, he quickly spun his head around to look at the blonde.

"I do know one way… Where's the black book?" he asked, and the other stared in shock.

"Why do you need it?" inquired Sherry. What _was_ he planning?

"We need it to make her stop this!" replied the mamodo. "If I can perform one of my spells on Kalu, then she will stop. The two spells will interfere and cause each other to end."

Dumbstruck, Sherry gaped at her husband. "You couldn't possibly think of performing a spell on your own _daughter_! It's not right!"

At that moment the energy increased, and Brago bent down on one knee. "Do it now!" he yelled. Sherry was hesitant, but after a moment she slowly nodded her head and ran inside to go grab Brago's spell book.

"Kalu, it'll be alright." Brago said to his daughter. The girl wasn't screaming at the moment, but just crying. The energy, however, was still continuing on.

Sherry emerged from the house a minute later, black book in her arms. The dark mamodo saw this and stepped away from his daughter.

"Daddy, no! Don't go!" cried the girl as her father removed his arms from her shoulders. "Daddy…!"

With a blank look, Brago stared at his daughter. "I'm right here, Kalu, hold on. We're going to help."

A tear trickled down the little girl's face, and she closed her eye as the energy continued to rage on. Sherry turned her head one last time to face her husband.

"Brago, do you really think this is the right thing to do?"

"It's not exactly the _right_ thing, but it's the _best_."

She stared at him as he said that. "What's that supposed to—?"

"Sherry!" Brago shouted. "Kalu's powers are very uncontrolled right now; they're being unleashed right now. It's her breaking point, and she needs some sort of management over it immediately. Do as I say!"

She only stared, wide eyed and shocked. After a moment she bowed her head and sighed. Perhaps it was the best… But Kalu… What would she think when she saw her parents attack her? "Alright, we'll do it." said the blonde unenthusiastically. "But don't blame me if nothing happens. What spell do you want?"

"Just the Gravi Rei." responded the mamodo as he stepped back and raised his left hand into the air. Fight fire with fire… He gritted his teeth and sighed. This was the only thing he could do…

Slowly, Sherry opened the black book of spells and turned to a very familiar page. She glanced down at the strange writing, searching for the spell. When she found it, she glanced back up at Kalu, and then to Brago. We're sorry, Kalu, she thought mentally. With a sigh and a deep breath, Sherry called out the spell.

"Gravi Reis!"

The dark mamodo's left hand glowed purple, and the same purple energy began to glow around Kalu.

The little girl looked up just in time to see her father's hand glow, and the same color wrap its aura around herself. The pressure around her increased, and just as she was about to black out, she whispered something faintly.

"Daddy, stop hurting me…"

Her eyes then closed and she remembered nothing else.

* * *

_CLIFFHANGER! MUWAHAHAHAHAHA!_

_Brago: (glare) Why are you doing this?_

_Me: Doing what? A cliffy?_

_Brago: Well... that too, but why are you making me hurt my daughter?_

_Me: It was your idea, not mine!_

_Brago: You're the author!_

_Me: So...? Your point?_

_Brago: AUGH! (stomps off to let off his frustration on something else)_

_Me: ...? Did i miss something? XD_

_NOW ON TO MY REVIEWERS!_

_**Blood of the Wolf: **If you think Kalu's upset now, just wait 'til later. O.O oops, did i say that aloud? (stares at Brago) HOW COULD YOU EAT YUKI! Blood, I think this calls for drastic measures, what about you? Should Brago be punished again? 'Cuz that's what I'm thinking! Brago: You better not make me tell Sherry what I think of her again... Me: Nah, I have something _better _planned for you! Brago: ... Me: Hey, Blood, you wanna know what I had in mind? Just asking first:-) Oh, and here's a lil' something for ya! (hands Blood a ressurect) You know what it does.. go ressurect Yuki. I have to run from Brago now becauze unfortunately he heard me talking about some sort of plan i have in mind... Gotta run! (takes off) Brago: Twilight!_

_**Wolf Called Killer: **If I told you then it would spoil the story. So, sorry, not gonna tell! You'll just have to wait like the rest of the readers!_

_**Crying White Wolf: **Kittens ARE cute! (hugs my own cats) I have two... and unfortunately they are incredibly lazy... (sigh) They're still cute, though:-)_

_**Wolf of the Blue Moon: **Here's the next chappy!_

_**PsychicLunar: **Yep, school won't be the easiest thing for Kalu, nor will the fact that she saw Brago attack her be easy, either. O.O I let it slip again... X.X I need to stop that XD Hopefully I'll get the next chappy soon._

_**Dark traner: **Glad you like it, n' here's the next chappy!_

_**Kari Mezmaru: **I'll update my Collection of Poems when I'm in the mood to write poetry... Here lately I haven't been, so... Yeah. -.- N' here is the next chappy!_

_**angel161991: **Here's the next chapter!_

_**Rae: **Don't blame me if she does that... Sorry for not updating! (blame school X.x)_

_**Sara: **I like kittens... they're cute. So kawaii! Well, I dont really know if i'll do anything important with the kitten and Brago... I might, but I haven't really thought about it. I don't know how to propose... I'm only 13! o.O Why don't you ask Brago? XD I'm sure that'll be something to see.. Brago: I'm not talking to you, Twilight. And i hate you for the fact you torture me. Me: Does it upset you? Brago: Yes, it does. Me: hahaha! Brago's upset! Brago: (glare) Me: I hate school.. the only things i DO like about it are my friends, lunch (although sometimes the food is really disgusting because I in particular don't like cafeteria food X.x), art (but i don't have that subjectthis year(cries), and going home. XD_

_**KL: **Well, i dunno what I'm going to do with Brago and Yuki. I haven't really thought about it..._

_**Computerfreak101: **Brago, i'm sure the whole world knows by now that you wore a dress! Brago: (glaring very threateningly n' says nothing) Me: Um... (sweat) I don't exactly think Brago knows_ how _to take a joke... Brago: I. Don't. Do. Funny. (continues to glower) Me: CF101, he's scaring me... O.o Maybe you should steal a magic broom while I go off to a special room that Brago really hates (its all glittery inside n' he won't go in) Brago: I hate glitter... Me: You hate everything. Brago: No i dont! Me: Oh that's right, you don't hate everything because you love Sherry! Brago: Why you-- Me: I'm off to hide! (hides)_

_**anonimize: **N' that was a good episode, too. Let's just hope you can catch the episode re-run of it later on today (depending when you read this, it'll be later tonight (friday)at like 12 or something). Thunderstorms are evil..._

_OKIES, now that I'm done with the reviewers, I'm going to go ahead and get this over with._

_Has anybody seen the news about Hurricane Katrina (sp?) Looks dreadful... O.O I feel sorry for those who lost their homes n' whatnot from that storm..._

_nEways... I'm gonna sign off now so you peeps can get on with your day (and me with mine). I'll try to update soon! TA TA!_

_Twilight Memories has now signed off._


	15. Waking Up to New Feelings

_Wow, i didn't know how people would handle the last chapter... guess I know now. (hides from everybody)Brago was only trying to stop Kalu's breaking point i didn't do anything!_

_Well it's late at night and I'm on my mom's laptop computer again, but luckily i managed to load up this document so i could get to it later on viamom's laptop and internet. Well, considering the fact that I don't know how long i have on here, i'm just gonna get this over with!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Zatch Bell. If I did... well... let's just say I don't and end it there._

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Gift from the Dark

**Chapter 14**

**Waking Up to New Feelings**

Her body ached, it was tired, and she couldn't move. Eyes were shut tight, and it felt like the gravity around her was still forcing them to stay permanently closed. She couldn't speak, but she could hear. There were voices around her, but they were indistinct. All she could hear were voices, not exact words. Mumbling is more like it. She couldn't even make out who the voices belonged to, except that one was for a male and one a female.

Sherry turned her head and glanced down at her daughter, who was currently knocked out. She stroked her daughter's cheek with her hand and gently brushed away a small piece of blue-black hair from her eyes.

With a sigh, she glanced over to Brago, who was leaning against the wall with his arms folded, and was facing away from Sherry and Kalu.

"You alright?" Sherry asked, seeing the expression on her husband's face. She had asked this question a few times before, but he didn't answer her. And like all the other times she inquired, he remained silent.

A saddened look was on the blonde's face, and she went back to caressing her daughter's cheek. There were multiple bruises all over the girl's limp body and an especially large one on her forehead, right where Kalu had been pushed against the ground by the two Gravi Rei attacks.

In a way Brago's plan to stop Kalu's breaking point was a success. He had stopped it, that's for sure, but he had also knocked out the little girl and nobody knew when she would reawake. Not only that, but she had been slightly injured from the two powerful forces colliding. Her father's, of course, had been the strongest out of them all but was enough to blend together with her own attack and halt them both.

It had been a few hours since that happened, though. There was a slightly damaged spot in the front yard where the gravity attacks had taken place, but the gardener would take care of that and plant new grass.

Currently Brago, Sherry, and Kalu were in the family room. The two parents were waiting for their daughter to awake, while Kalu was as still as the dead. She was alive, just knocked out.

A sad sigh escaped Sherry's lips as she stared down at her daughter's face. The child's head was placed in her lap, and her clouded eyes were closed. The blonde had cleaned her face from the dirt that had been on it but could do nothing about the bruises.

Turning her head upwards, she looked over at Brago once more. "Aren't you ever going to speak?"

He was still silent. A strange look containing a mix of anger and confusion was placed on his features. The mamodo was staring at the ground and was as silent as Kalu. Finally, after a moment, he spoke. "It's my fault she's like this." he said.

"You mean Kalu?" his wife inquired and he nodded. She was silent after that, and he soon continued.

"But it was the only way… the only way to stop it. So I did what had to be done, but…" he trailed off, and glanced over at his unconscious daughter. His head quickly jerked away. "…Now she's in that condition. It's my damn fault."

"…Brago…"

"What?" snapped the mamodo as he glanced over at his wife. She stared back at him with her cerulean eyes and shook her head.

"Stop it, please." she said. "It's… it's not your entire fault…"

"Not my entire fault?"

"I… You… You couldn't even do the spell without me." responded the blonde. She looked back down at her daughter. "I had to cast the spell for you, so it's not your entire fault. It's _our_ fault."

He shook his head and sighed. "But there was no other way…" Brago gave a blank stare was the blonde's gaze met his. She soon turned back away and continued to trace her hand against the little girl's face.

Slowly, Brago looked down at his daughter as well from where he was standing. The large bruise on her face was easily seen, and a scratch or two from having her face pressed hard into the dirt with a pointed pebble or two there. Her face was blank and emotionless, and the black lines made it look as if she was crying.

Brago noticed this about Kalu. The marks under her eyes made it look as if she was constantly crying. Strangely that's not how it was for him, since he had about the exact same markings. But for Kalu… it was different. In a way, maybe that's how her personality could be described. Unhappy. Her attitude was difficult to describe, and wasn't the same as most people her age. Maybe from this last experience she was crying from the heart.

Taking light steps the father walked over to where the little one lay in Sherry's lap, and he bent down one knee so he could be closer to Kalu. He observed her face, and thought more about her.

Yes… in this situation it definitely looked as if she had been crying. The black marks on her looked as if they were dried, black tears. She didn't have on her normal attire, which was a white long-sleeve shirt with a pale purple dress that normally had a bow tied around the neck. Right now she just had one a short sleeved purple shirt and white pants. Her other clothing was being washed since it got dirt all over it.

Brago noticed her arms, and how Kalu also had the same black markings on them as well. The shape, like his, was somewhat T-shaped but different. Sherry kept Kalu dressed in outfits that covered that design up so nobody would see the design, but right now it really didn't matter.

He gently placed his clawed hand on the girl's face and stroked it while Sherry stopped. She watched him as he studied Kalu's face, and then stood up and walked back to his corner to cross his arms again and go back to his silent mode.

It was not too long afterwards when there was a small murmur sound coming from Kalu. Brago and Sherry both watched with hope as she squeezed her eyes tightly together, continuing to murmur something.

"I think she's coming to." said Sherry, staring down at her daughter. Brago said nothing but nodded his head.

Slowly and steadily, Kalu began to open her eyes. She let them stay half closed to adjust to the bright light in the room, and slowly she opened them about all the way.

"Wha… What…?" She slowly blinked, not quite sure where she was at the moment. Her voice was tired, as if she had just woken up from a long night's sleep.

Her head slightly tilted to the side, and she glanced around the room to see where she was. The family room… yes that was it.

That was when she became aware that her head was in her mother's lap, so she glanced up and gave a weak smile. "Hi Mamma…"

"Kalu!" Sherry gave her daughter a big hug, glad to see that she had finally woken up and was no longer unconscious. "You're alright!"

Brago gave a small grin, seeing that she was awake too. He silently walked over to where the girl was and looked down at her.

When Kalu's gaze met her father's, she had memory relapse. She remembered how she had been controlled by this sudden force of gravity, and how the pain made her scream as she let it out all uncontrolled. How Brago held onto her then let go, saying something about help …But that's when her mother emerged from the house carrying the black book, and he had commanded her to call out a spell. So he did, and directed it on her. He had hurt her… he hurt her!

Kalu's eyes widened and began to shake. She stared up at her father as her strength immediately returned back to her. She frowned, giving him a look of fear and anger.

"Go away!" she cried, tears beginning to form beneath her eyes. Both Brago and Sherry gave confused looks as their daughter proclaimed this. "Get away from me, Daddy!" Kalu yelled.

"Kalu?" The dark mamodo tried to reason with his daughter, but she was being irrational and wouldn't listen.

"No! You hurt me! Go away and leave me alone!" The girl quickly stood up and bolted right out of the room and ran as fast as she could through the hallway.

"Kalu, wait!" Sherry stood up, calling her daughter's name, but stopped as Brago rested his hand on her shoulder.

"Let me find her."

"Brago, don't you dare do anything else to frustrate or hurt her. You hear me?" Sherry said with a warning tone in her voice. The mamodo nodded and began to walk.

"I won't do anything but find her. I promise."

With that, Brago ran off as quickly as he could to catch up with his daughter. He could sense her somewhere in the house. She was somewhere around… the front door!

Knowing where she was, he quickened his pace even more to find the girl. He bolted through the hallways, sensing that he was gaining on her. Brago ran past a few more hallways until he reached where the front door was. It was wide open and he could see that outside Kalu was running as fast as she could.

"Kalu, get back here!" called the mamodo, but the girl didn't respond. She just looked back behind her and frowned again.

"Leave me alone, Daddy!" she cried and continued running. Brago frowned and gritted his teeth. There was no way he was going to just let the girl run away like this!

Soon he caught up with the girl just as she was about to climb up a tree in hopes to loose him. Quickly he snagged the girl around the waist just as she was on the trunk of the tree. He swung her around and she landed on her feet. Turning around, Kalu glared at her father and screamed.

"Daddy, let me go! Let me go!" she cried, trying to set herself free from her father's grasp. She tugged as hard as she could but couldn't get him to let go.

"Kalu, get back to the house, now!" commanded the mamodo but the other continued to not listen.

"No! You hurt me so leave me alone!" Kalu continued to tug. She tried to slap her father's hand away from her arm but his grip tightened. She squeezed her eyes and tears began to trickle down her face. "Stop hurting me!"

Brago's grip lessened, but only a little to make it less painful for his daughter. As soon as it lightened, she went back to pulling.

"Kalu!" hollered Brago. His eyes became white and the girl looked up in fear at her father. It was night, and raining. The shadows on her father's face made him look frightening, and he was baring his teeth in anger – mind you they're like fangs, which didn't help at all.

The girl plopped onto the ground and shook with fear and frustration as she stared up into Brago's blank eyes. More tears fell down Kalu's face and she shook very hard now.

"Daddy… You're scaring me…" Her voice shook, and her eyes continued to water as tears streamed down her cheeks. "Stop it…"

As he stared down at the shaking form of his daughter, Brago softened his grip and sighed. He let go of the girl's arm and bent his knee down to look at her eye-to-eye.

"Kalu… I'm sorry." he said quietly. "I didn't mean to scare you, nor did I mean to hurt you."

"Yes you did!" shouted the girl, tears splashing down her face. "Daddy, you hurt me yesterday! You hurt me now! You meant it all!"

The mamodo frowned and shook his head. "No, Kalu, I did not. Now will you listen to me?" In the distance he could see the silhouette of Sherry coming up to them. She was running as fast as she could, her blonde hair flying back behind her.

"Brago, Kalu!" she called. When she reached them she was panting. "I was… wondering where you two went. I saw… out the window… you two in the background." Sherry spoke as she continued to gasp for air. She looked down at her daughter, who was shaking like a leaf. "Oh, Kalu. Are you alright?" she asked.

Kalu said nothing but wailed as she jumped into her mother's arms. "Just make it all stop! Make it all stop! Stop it now and make him stop!" Kalu continued to blubber out incoherent things as she cried her eyes out.

Sherry embraced the little girl and looked over at Brago. "Did you do anything?"

"No," responded the darker being. "She's just still frustrated about what happened so she's saying that. She also said I hurt her, but I believe she got the wrong picture."

Sherry slowly nodded her head. "Yes… Yesterday she must have thought that we were attacking her purposely, but we were only stopping the breaking point." The blonde glanced down at her daughter and began to say soothing things. "It'll be alright, Kalu… Shh… Stop crying…"

Picking up Kalu, Sherry stood up and held the little girl. Kalu was not crying as hard now, but sniffling softly to herself with her eyes shut tight.

"I'm going to train her tomorrow." Announced Brago after a minute of silence. "I know what you're going to say… But if we want another power surge like earlier, then I think it's best if I train her. The sooner the better."

The other said nothing but stared into the mamodo's eyes, wondering what he could be thinking. "Where are you going to train her?" she asked.

He looked at her in the eye and spoke seriously. "In the mamodo world."

"What!" Sherry stared at Brago hard. "You can't be serious! Why are you taking her there?"

"Because I can use my own powers there." answered Brago. "If I take her there then I'll have an advantage of getting her to learn. Besides, there you can unleash powers more easily. I'm taking her there whether you like it or not."

Sherry sighed and glanced at Kalu. "Alright… Do what you want."

* * *

_Well, there's the next chappy! Man this story is getting long! I didn't originally plan it to be this long, but i guess it's reaching that way! And it's certainly gonna go past 20... Dunno how long this story will be but i'll find out for sure!_

_Anyways, on to my reviewers!_

_**Wolf of the Blue Moon: **Well that's good knowing that they're alright! Hope they can find a place to live!_

_**angel61991: **He was only trying to make the breaking point stop... that's all._

_**Crying White Wolf: **Well...(points to this chapter) She kinda runs away... but not to the figure._

_**PsychicLunar: **Oi...You're the only one who thought of Brago stopping the breaking point and not hurting Kalu! (besides me, of course XD) Ooh... having his powers would be fun! The two characters' powers from two shows that I'd want are Raven's (from Teen Titans) and then Brago's! Kinda odd that all the dark characters get all the cool powers...Oh well:-) Oh school text books...THOSE ARE EVIL! Especially on C-days. My school has this A, B, C day schedual where on A-days we have certain classes and then B-days we have the other classes that we didn't have on the A-day and then C-days (aka Fridays) is when we have ALL the course classes in one day... N' that's when i have to carry a lot of books... ugh... X.x_

_**anonimize: **Um... I really don't know what it means... You could always try looking it up on an online dictionary somewhere... I would do that but right now i don't have the time to cuz i'm on my mom's computer at the moment and not mine, so... sorry, dunno what it means... -.-_

_**Sara: **Now, now, now... Brago couldn't help it if both he and Sherry wanted to have a child and start a family...O.o Although i do have to admit, maybe they_ should _have thought about what would happen... Maybe the anger management classes for him didn't work. XD Oh dear I'm sure that week WAS torture for Brago. Poor, poor Brago... heheheh...Sherry wasn't there for him to make him happy (starts laughing).Brago: Hey, leave me alone! Me: Why should I? It's the truth, what's so bad about that? Brago: ... Me: I think he's upset, what about you? And he was only trying to stop Kalu's breaking point, he wasn't trying to hurt Kalu.Anyways here is the next chappy!_

_**Blood of the Wolf: **(smiles evilyl) Well... I was thinking to have a punishment for Brago that is MUCH worse for him than having to confess his love for Sherry. I was wondering since heate Yuki (since nobody did i ressurected her so she's alive again and Kalu's happier than ever) you should have Brago kiss Sherry... on the lips... right in front of everybody... or something along the line. :-) I think he'd get VERY upset about that... And... gr... Oh no! You ARE going to kill somebody! Gr... Well since i am a reader and cannot do anything i guess i'll just have to let it happen (sighs sadly) Pity... Anyway, i think that that would be a good punishment for Brago! Ta ta!_

_**Tici:** Here's the next chapter._

_**Computerfreak101:** He was only stopping her breaking point! I've said this to a lot of people now! Eep! -.- Hmm... One week, eh? Maybe you should take pictures of him and sell it to Sherry. I bet she'd think it was cute knowing her and her feelings for him. And...curently Brago is glaring at me so i better get this over with. Oh, oh.. better idea, you should video tape him trying to get it off while he's not looking! Brago: Twilight... stop it or else. Me: Ah, uh... (sweat) Lke i said he's scaring me. He can be very menacing looking y'know. Brago: ... Me: The glitter room is beginning to annoy me though. I'm not a fan of it it's just it keeps Brago away. (looks back over a glaring Brago) He still scares me even if he can't get me... Yep, Katrina is really causing a lot of havoc for the US. I hope that those who lost homes n' whatnot are alright..._

_**ShadowVixen: **Glad you like it! N' here's the next chappy!_

_OK, there ya go reviewers! I'm terribly sorry if i missed anybody but currently i'm on my mom's laptop and i can't check email to see any new ones. But luckily i could check your reviews n' whatnot by other ways. :-)_

_And whoah i have ta get to sleep now. Tommorow is a school day and i want to do good! Until next time, i'll see you peeps later...! OK not see but YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN!_

_Late at night and i'm still hyper. Haha... Anyways i'm signing off. BYE!_


	16. Enter a New World

_Yes I have updated! There's been nothing to do lately but SCHOOL, SCHOOL, SCHOOL! Ugh, it's driving me crazy. We've already had to do a bunch of essays. And I HATE essays! (cries)_

_Oh well... Now, let's get on with this chapter, shall we?_

_Disclaimer: I don't own ANYTHING related to Zatch Bell, so LEAVE ME ALONE! However, I DO own Kalu! ...And maybe a few random, unimportant mamodos here and there, but they're not that important. XD_

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Gift from the Dark

**Chapter 15**

**Enter a New World**

It took a while for Kalu to get to sleep that night. Sherry had taken her back to her room and put her to bed, wishing her a good night sleep and telling her that she would see her in the morning.

The little girl just rolled over, thinking about what had just happened within the past few hours. Something had happened… but she wasn't quite sure what. Brago mentioned something he called a 'breaking point' and that was all she knew. Then before she knew it, he had commanded her mother to use the black book for him. He had attacked her… he _hurt_ her.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she thought about it. The pain from his attack was great; she never knew that her own father could be so strong… But she still didn't understand why he had done that in the first place. He said he was helping her, but…

…It just didn't seem that way.

Glancing down, Kalu saw Yuki peacefully asleep in the little cat bed on the floor. A small smile crossed her face but it soon vanished. She clutched her teddy tightly in her arms and closed her eyes with a soft sigh.

Then there was the fact that she had heard her parents talking while she was crying; they had mentioned the mamodo world, and how Brago wanted to bring her there and train …Train for what?

The tears in her eyes slowly trickled down her cheek. Whatever it was, she knew that something bad might happen, and she still didn't forgive her father for what he had done. He hurt her… and there was no way, absolutely no way, she would forgive him easily.

No way at all…

-o-o-o-o-o-

Sherry watched as Brago took off his fuzzy black shirt and threw it on the floor. Afterwards, he climbed in the bed next to her and layed down. Every so often he would sleep in the bed with her. He didn't do it too much considering how he "didn't need to sleep," as he put it.

"What are you planning on doing tomorrow, Brago?" Sherry asked her husband as soon as his back rested against the mattress underneath them. "When you train Kalu in your world?"

"Hn… I'm going to just teach her how to stay in control." he responded. "That way she won't unleash any spells without meaning to."

With a sigh, Sherry shook her head. "Poor Kalu… Brago, I don't want you to stress her out any more than she already is. Okay?"

He only smirked and stared at her oddly. "Now why would I do that?"

"I know how you are, Brago."

The mamodo said nothing but just watched as the blonde curled up next to him and closed her eyes. Brago wrapped an arm around her as she slowly began to doze off.

"'Night, Brago." With that, Sherry slowly began to fall asleep. The dark mamodo didn't respond, but he just stared up at the ceiling, imagining how the next day would turn out. He'd find out soon enough…

-o-o-o-o-o-

Soon it was the next day and everybody was wide awake. Brago woke up before anybody else, climbed out of his bed without waking up Sherry, and went out to go hunt. Not too long afterwards, Sherry also woke up and got her breakfast. Then of course, when that was done, she woke up Kalu.

Now that everyone was awake, they were all outside. Sherry was talking to her daughter one last minute before Brago took her to his world.

"Kalu, I want you to do something for me." said Sherry. The hybrid child looked up at her with her clouded purple eyes in curiosity. "If your father does anything to upset you, tell me."

"Does anything?"

"Well… you know." Sherry put her hand on Kalu's shoulders. "Will you do that for me? I'll have a talk with him if he does."

Kalu looked at her with a blank looked and then gave a weak smile. "OK."

Soon Brago appeared and walked up to the two. His daughter shot him an odd look but was went unnoticed. She was still afraid that he might hurt her again… and she still hadn't forgiven him on what he had done.

"Come back soon, alright?" Sherry looked at Brago in the eyes and their gaze met. "I don't want you two gone long."

Brago only gave a slight nod of his head. "We'll be back. Don't worry about it." With that, Brago turned around to face his daughter. "Are you ready, Kalu?"

His daughter slowly nodded her head, but said nothing. She gave a last look at her mother, not wanting to leave her home. "Mamma…"

The woman hugged her daughter. "Don't worry, I'll see you soon." The hug soon ended and Sherry smiled. "Now go on, the sooner you get this over with the sooner you can come back."

Kalu smiled and nodded her head. "Alright,"

Brago watched as Kalu turned around to face him. He knew that she was ready to leave, so he took her hand and told her to not let go. They gave their last goodbyes to Sherry, and soon they both vanished.

-o-o-o-o-o-

A light appeared in the mamodo world, and when it was gone it revealed Brago and Kalu. Kalu, whose eyes were closed, opened up her eyelids and gave a gasp. Quickly she wrapped her arms around her father in a tight grip as she stared up at the tall trees before her and the mighty sky up above. Different birds she had never seen before flew through the blue space and twittered all the way.

She turned her head to the right and saw different plants and flowers she had never seen before. So many new things surrounded her, and she held onto her father tightly.

"Welcome to the mamodo world, Kalu." The little girl gazed upwards at her father as soon as he said that.

So this is her father's world, she thought to herself. It didn't look _that_ abnormal…

Brago took a deep breath and looked around. He could feel his powers beginning to work like they should, and the feeling of control swept over him. This was one of the things he enjoyed about his world; he actually had control over his powers here and could use them properly the way they were supposed to be used. His black book was useless and unneeded here.

The mamodo gave a quick glance down at his daughter. She was looking up at him, and a strange emotion was in her eyes.

Fear…

"Don't be afraid, Kalu." started the dark mamodo. "There's nothing to be scared of, alright?" She slightly nodded her head and he smirked. "Good, now let's begin."

So the training began. Brago began instructing his daughter in a clear section of the woods how to stay in control over her abilities. Since he was able to use his own powers there without the help of Sherry and the black book, it proved easier for him to tutor his daughter.

He began teaching Kalu how to understand more about what the Reis spell was and what it could really do, along with a few other spells. Kalu could barely comprehend what it really was… she was mostly staring around her, unsure if the place they were in was safe. She kept sensing different beings around the area and it made her feel uncomfortable.

Brago told her to ignore this feeling. When in the mamodo world, she would always have the feeling that somebody strong was around her. In fact, this was very true, but that should have been known.

The two never encountered another mamodo during the training. Either there were none around or there really was, just that they didn't show themselves. Kalu was better off this way… She didn't like the new world very much and couldn't wait to get back home to her mother.

Since this was her first lesson, Brago went very easy on her. There were times when he taught her that he had to perform a spell to show an example of something. This always made Kalu uneasy. She did not like the powers that she possessed, and it scared her to see just how powerful her father's abilities were, even if it was nothing to him.

It was certainly something to her, and that's that.

During the lesson, Brago talked about with Kalu how one should always be aware of the energy level they were at. Otherwise it could wipe them out if they used too much of their power, along with other important factors.

"Kalu, you need to remember this," began the dark mamodo. "You must always be aware of what your energy level is. You don't want to overdo your power and be left completely exhausted. That would not be good."

The little girl looked down at her hands. They were shaking. This whole lesson was nerve-wrecking… Why did she have to go through with this? She merely just looked up at her father and nodded her head and tried to pay attention.

Throughout the session, Kalu had been trying her best to remember all of what her father said. It was hard, for she didn't like to pay attention to certain things very well. All that she wanted was to go home and stay with her mother.

Her father just… didn't seem like the father that she knew. During this whole ordeal, he was a different person. He still cared about her greatly; he just wasn't as soft to her like he always was.

A tear fell down her cheek as she continued going on with her father's lesson. When would all of this end? She wanted the kind, caring father that she knew. Not the trainer.

And during the entire lesson, Kalu's emotions began to build up more and more as she continued to be taught by Brago. It was all upsetting her, and her mood was being affected as well.

After a while, the lesson was over. A few hours had passed, and Brago decided that that was enough for the day. Kalu sat down on the grass, hugging her knees. He sat down next to her and watched her.

"Kalu..?"

She didn't respond. All she did was bury her face into her lap and remain silent as she closed her eyes.

The dark mamodo sighed and shook his head. "Kalu, you really need to pay attention if you're going to get this right. Look at me." Brago frowned when his daughter still did nothing. "Kalu…"

Suddenly her head jerked upwards and Kalu gave a scowl. "Daddy, why do I have to put up with this? I don't like it!"

Brago stared at his daughter. So this is what she was all fussed up about?

"Because you need control," started the mamodo. "It is something that all mamodos need to have."

This comment angered the girl. "But I'm not a mamodo!" she yelled and stood up. Brago looked calmly at her and told her to sit down. Kalu shook her head. "No!"

With a sigh, Brago spoke. "Alright, you're not a mamodo but you still have my blood. Mamodo blood; so calm down, Kalu, and sit down."

She did not listen to his command. "Daddy, you don't care about me!" Kalu said. "If you did then you wouldn't be putting me through all of this!"

"Kalu!" Brago's voice raised and he stood up. "The reason I am putting you through this is because I _do_ care! I want you to be safe."

"No!" Shaking her head frantically, Kalu turned around. "You _don't_ care! And _I_ don't care, either! I don't care about you, or these stupid powers! Just leave me alone!"

Before Brago could do anything, Kalu bolted off into the mamodo world. The mamodo stared as he watched his daughter run off. Then he ran after her. "Kalu!"

He chased her through the forest, but soon lost track of her. With a glare at his surroundings he cursed under his breath. Now why did Kalu have to start acting irrational _now_ of all times?

Brago glanced around but couldn't tell where his daughter was. Suddenly, he felt a powerful force beginning to wander around nearby. As a matter of fact… there were _two_ beings nearby. This was not good. And one of them, unfortunately, was more powerful than him.

The mamodo called out his daughter's name one last time before he ran off to go find the little girl. Hopefully, he'd find her before somebody else did…

Kalu wandered around the wooded area and sniffed to herself. Tears had fallen down her cheeks as she ran from Brago. The hybrid child wiped a few away.

She knew that he didn't care… Why would Brago care? He was just putting her through this for some strange reason… maybe even just for the heck of it! Her shoulders shook as she continued to think about it.

Then, she looked around at the surroundings around her. They were all so unfamiliar to her… Where was she to go next? A piercing thought struck her mind and her eyes widened.

She was lost.

She looked around wide eyed. Now where was she? Maybe running away from her father hadn't been such a good idea…

"Hey, who are you? I've never seen you before."

Kalu turned around when she heard the new voice. She about jumped out of her shoes when she saw another mamodo staring at her with his curious golden eyes. The little girl said nothing, but just took a step back as the other took a step forward.

"Do you live anywhere around here?" asked the golden-eyed mamodo. He watched as Kalu took another step backwards but tripped on a small rock that was sticking up. "Oh, let me help you!"

Quickly he stepped forward to help Kalu and took her hand. She stared up at him silently in wonder as he stared back. Quietly, she began to speak. "Who – who are you?"

The other mamodo just smiled and let out a laugh as he closed his eyes. "You don't know me? Ha-ha, that's funny!"

Kalu looked at him in wonder as the boy snickered. What was so funny? The golden eyed mamodo then reopened his eyes and spoke.

"My name's Zatch! Zatch Bell!"

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_OK... so now that I've gotten a chapter done with some training in it i'm gonna go ahead and start writing the next chappy soon n' put some neat-o stuff in it! Who can guess what might happen next?_

_Well...ON TO MY REVIEWS!_

**_ShadowVixen:_**_ Um... She doesn't exactly like the world. But that's just Kalu. -.- XD Here's the next chappy!_

**_anonimize:_**_ S'a lot of smilies:-) Here's dthe next chapter all typed up!_

**_Rae:_**_ Actually, I don't really know if i'm going to give Kalu any of her own... Well, if i do then that won't be for a while. She's pretty much inherited all of Brago's abilities..._

**_greenway:_**_ Well, glad you like it:)_

**_Crying White Wolf: _**_I might have other mamodos see Kalu eventually... But as for now it's just Zatch n' the one other... oops, i let that slip. XD_

**_Computerfreak101:_**_ Nope! I don't mind if its long! Actually, i think it's rather hilarious if you ask me. (laughs) Brago's still in the dress! Not to mention the fact that you extended the spell the other day to make it last LONGER! Ooh... i have an idea! You should have him wear it all throughout October so that way it'll be his Halloween costume! DO THAT:D I'm sure he'd have fun... Well, i'm not suprised that you survived the Ion Gravi Rei. Those two in episode 12 survived... somehow... I bet Brago's gonna freak when he sees your "ghost". (snickers) You get to read about Kalu and Zatch talkin' next chappy..._

**_Luminara Windu:_**_ Hm... depending how long this Kalu-in-the-mamodo-world scene takes me, I'll probably have Kalu go to school sometime after that. Haven't decided quite yet what i'm going to do when that comes around... The other students won't know she's half human. I really doubt that Brago and Sherry would tell her school that she's barely human..._

**_angel61991:_**_ Here's the next chapter._

**_PsychicLunar:_**_ Ya said to make Zatch appear, so here he is! But of course, there's going to be a lot more of him next chapter because he'll be talking to Kalu some. Yep, trouble starts somewhere around the next chappy..._

**_Yamia Ishtar:_**_ Yay! Sushi! (takes sushi) Do you like sushi? I love it! But.. I'm sure you could probably already knew that. XD Glitter is alright.. i guess... But it's a great tool to use to hide from Brago, so i guess it's good for something!_

**_Kari Mezmaru:_**_ Glad you like it! Here's the next chapter!_

**_Sara:_**_ I'm sorry, but i'm not putting anybody from this website in this story. It's just not how I have everything planned. Mm... Brago didn't hurt her purposely... Heh, actually, my father thinks it odd that I don't find Brago creepy, because he's seen me draw pics of him n' watch Brago on the TV n' stuff.. He's not creepy! Brago: Why can't anybody besides my daughter be afraid? Me: Um... I don't know. Brago: Hn. Me: Well, here's the next chapter!_

**_rahkshi500:_**_It's alright! Don't feel upset, 'kay? I forgive you. And I'm not going to stop reading your story because it has a good potential, like i had said in my first review, and i love just about anything that has to do with Brago and Sherry... (sigh) Tis a shame that they don't reappear until like... 20 episodes from now. (cries) Well, i am glad you like it n' i forgive you!_

_**Blood of the Wolf:** Well here's Kalu's training! And... aw.. (takes a picture of Brago kissing Sherry) I got it! Muwahahahaha! Another pic to add to my colection! Brago: YOU HAVE A COLLECTION? Me: Yep! It has all the adorable moments between you and Sherry... i took them when you thought i wasn't looking. Brago: (cracks knuckels and glares) You... are so going to pay for that... Me: Ah, uh... Blood, a lil' help here? Now he has two reasons to hate me... Well, i'll try to update soon!_

_There's the next chapter, folks! Hope you all enjoyed this! And i'm sure that a lot of you are wondering what's going to happen next chapter with Zatch! Well, you'll just have to find out. (laughs)_

_Still sucks that Brago and Sherry aren't going to appear in the TV show any time soon... (cries) BUT i have trailers of the anime and a game to watch with him in it, and believe it or not i still have episode 12 recorded on my TV so i can watch that. MUWAHAHAHAHA!_

_Ahem... Yes, well, there's the next chapter! I'll try to update soon! I'm signing off. BYE!_

_(signing off)_


	17. Brewing Up Talk and Trouble

_Yay i can finally work on another chapter! (smiles to self)_

_Again, it's one of those weeks when i'm not going to be able to work on any stories 'cause I won't be on my own computer very much.. But i'll still be able to read stories n' whatnot. Just can't write 'cause i don't have as much time this week. When i get home from school n' i don't have any homework, or i have a little or have completed it, i'll be able to work on a story. But there's nothing to worry about:)_

_Anywho, let's get on with the chapter!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Zatch Bell. I never will, so leave me alone. However, KALU IS MINE! HAHAHAHA! Brago: But she's my duaghter. Me: Yeah, but she's still_ my _character... -.- Brago: Whatever..._

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Gift from the Dark

**Chapter 16**

**Brewing Up Talk and Trouble**

"My name's Zatch! Zatch Bell!"

Kalu looked in wonder as the blonde headed boy now identified as Zatch Bell said that. "Z-Zatch Bell?" she stammered.

"Yep, the one and the only!" Zatch gave a laugh. "Don't tell me you haven't heard of me?"

Kalu shook her blue-black head. "No… I'm sorry, but I have never heard of that name." As she said this, Zatch gave a look with his mouth hanging open. She stared at him as he made a gagging noise.

"You… You've never heard of me?" the blonde asked, his voice almost squeaking. Kalu shook her head again. "Wha…?"

"Please don't be mad!" the half mamodo said quickly as she clamped her hands together. She closed her eyes tightly and shook. "Please don't be!"

Zatch only gave a bemused look as she said that. "Now why would I be mad at you?" he asked, tilting his blonde head to the side. Kalu popped an eye open and gave a curious look. This made the lightning mamodo ask another question. "Is there already somebody who's mad at you?"

Solemnly, Kalu nodded her head. "Yes… My daddy is."

"Why your dad?" Kalu said nothing afterwards, so the mamodo sat down and patted the ground next to him. "Sit here… Let's talk about it, okay?" Seeing his kindness, Kalu smiled and sat down next to him. The other smiled and started to talk. "So… Why is he mad at you? Did you do something wrong?"

The hybrid child only shrugged. "I don't know if it was wrong… But Daddy was training me, and I don't know why. It's hard to do, and I really don't like it." Zatch nodded as she said that. The little girl bowed her head, her hair shielding her eyes. "And I know why he's doing it… He doesn't care about me! He's putting me through all this mess for some reason that I don't know." She sniffed and a tear trickled down her cheek. "He doesn't care… and I don't care… nobody cares!"

At this the teary eyed girl curled her legs up to herself and began to sob. Zatch put on a sad look and sighed as he put a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him as he did so.

"It's not that he doesn't care," he began. "It's that he does. I'm sure that he just wants you to become stronger, so he's training you for that. He just wants you to grow up big and strong!"

This only made the other sigh. "He said that, too. Daddy also said that he wants me to be safe, but from what? Just the other day he and Mamma attacked me and—"

"—Hold up!" Zatch interrupted, and the other stared. "He attacked you? That's not right. Tell me exactly what happened, and try to remember everything."

So Kalu told Zatch about what had happened the other day when she had lost control of her powers. Of course it was all from her point of view and sounded a lot different from what really happened, but the lightning mamodo was able to tell what was going on.

"Ah… I see." The blonde nodded his head and the other gave a confused look. "You were loosing control of your powers, so he wants is for you to have control."

As she stared at the other mamodo, Kalu sighed. "But… It just doesn't feel right."

The lightning mamodo said nothing about that, but then a thought struck him. He turned his blonde head around and gave a curious look. "Say… Didn't you mention that your mother had used a book to help your father use that attack on you?"

Kalu nodded her head.

Zatch started thinking to himself. "Then… if that's so… then… Who's…? Hmm… I can't remember…" For an odd reason he couldn't remember who Kalu's father was. But before Zatch could ponder about the situation anymore, a new voice broke in.

"Kalu!"

The two's heads spun around only to meet a crimson gaze. It was Brago, and he had finally found where his daughter was. The dark mamodo took a step forward and Kalu grabbed onto Zatch's sleeve.

"Kalu, I was looking for you. Why did you run off like that?" asked Brago looking down at the little girl. She only closed her eyes and shook her head.

"Go away, Daddy. You don't care about me!" she squealed and hugged onto Zatch's arm a little tighter. Golden eyes widened when Zatch heard this.

He turned his head around to look at Kalu and then at Brago. Now why hadn't he thought of this before? The mamodo put a finger up to his mouth in a stupid way and then pointed it at Brago. "Wait… if she called you 'daddy' then… that… means…" He gasped and stood up. "So _you're_ Kalu's father!" he exclaimed.

Brago only stared. "And your point? Of course I'm her father! Who the hell did you think it was?"

Zatch only smiled smugly to himself and laughed. He turned his attention towards the little girl next to him, who was looking up at him. "I thought there was something familiar about you."

This only puzzled her. "You know my daddy?"

The lightning mamodo gave his infamous immature laugh and smiled even more. "Yep! I've known him for a long time. We were two of the hundred participants in the battle for mamodo king thirteen years ago. As a matter of fact, we were the last ones battling." Zatch smiled. "I remember that fight as if it was yesterday… It was actually kind of fun!"

Kalu put on a puzzled look. "But… if you two were the last mamodos battling, and my father lost… then…" She quickly gave a gasp and clamped her hands over her mouth. "You're the king! Daddy! Daddy, look he's the king!"

Brago only rolled his eyes. This news was so old for him… "Yes, Kalu, I know."

Kalu stared wide eyed at Zatch, who only smiled. "Yep, I'm the benevolent king of the mamodo world!"

"'Benevolent'…?" Kalu inquired. "What's that?"

"It means 'kind'," Brago answered and Kalu nodded her head, showing that she now understood.

The little girl now turned her attention back to the king. "But if you're king… where's the queen?"

He only smiled and laughed at this remark. "Oh, there's no queen. I have a couple of friends, who are girls, but they're just my friends. I couldn't be married to them."

The other nodded her head again. "Oh… I see." Kalu looked back up at her father who was about to say something when an unexpected blow from behind smashed the girl into the ground. She gave a cry of fright and from the pain as she went tumbling down. Brago stepped forward quickly and knelt down to make sure his daughter was alright. Both he and Zatch turned their heads around quickly only to see a plant mamodo that looked like a tree standing a few yards back. The source that knocked over Kalu was next to the mamodo. It was a root, a root that was being controlled by the other.

The plant mamodo gave a laugh and flung his fist into the ground. A glow was seen engulfing his hand while the root next to him and many more sprouted up into the air and charged at Kalu.

Lifting her head, Kalu turned around just in time to be hit by one of the roots. Brago and Zatch managed to block the other ones but missed as she screamed again and flew a few feet backwards.

"Kalu!" shouted Brago, and he turned around. There was something familiar about this mamodo… He shook his head. Nonetheless, he was attacking his daughter. And anybody who attacked anyone dear to him… would pay.

* * *

_Cliffy, cliffy, HAHAHAHAHA!_

_Whoo, i feel hyper now. -.- Guess I could try to start working on Sleeping Beauty since i'm in a somewhat funny mood... Ah well._

_Oh, and i just found out something: Brago and Sherry will appear again on **January 28, 2006.** YAY! Now we all know when to see the episode! (smiles) But i also saw that Kanchome appears in episode 48 when both the groups of Brago and Sherry, and Koko and Zophise show up. o.O I'm almost scared to know what's going to happen... -.-_

_Now on to my reviewers!_

_**PsychicLunar:** Yep, there were two mamodos that Brago sensed. The stronger-than-him one was Zatch. Why? 'Cause remember in this story Zatch beat Brago to become king? So i'd only figure in a situation like that Zatch would be stronger than him... But yeah, i'd think (currently from the episodes airing) That Brago would beat Zatch. You know what? I want sushi, too. -.- Maybe you could ask Zatch if he could go get some yellow tail if you're really craving it. XD_

_**ShadowVixen:** Well... the actions now just started, but it doesn't really take place in this chapter. Most of it was just talking. :) But if it's a fight you want to read, stay tuned in for the next chappy! N' you'll find out more of what i have in store during that next one, too. (of course, i'm sure that's quite obvious.. XD)_

_**Wolf of the Blue Moon:** Thanks! And here's the next chapter!_

_**Computerfreak101:** Haha, i can't imagine what Brago's reaction would be if he woke up to a hopeful normal day but found the cursed pink dress of your power back on him. Perhaps he'd freak out and have a heart attack? Heh.. Oh, and if you're wondering where i found the trailers that contain Brago in it or have at least a lil' of him, they're in my profile. There's even a game coming out of Zatch Bell Oct. 11 and he looks really funny in it...:3 Yes, that's what Zatch Bell should be about. Him and Sherry falling in love and it be all revolved around him. (sigh) Oh dear that makes me unhappy.. Wow, that was VERY entertaining to read. My dad was looking at me strangely 'cause i was laughing so hard. -.- Of course i'd read your Zatch Bell humor if you ever decided to make some! A lot of the humor fics out there just aren't that funny... Heck, your own reviews are worth readin' they're so funny! (pats you on the back) Here's the next chapter!_

_**rahkshi500:** Er... sorry, don't really like Shrek. -.- It does sound like a good fic, though. N' if you can't quite picture Kalu very well, here's another description that might help: She has eyes exactly like Brago's except she has no black line above her eyes, it's just underneath them. N' her pupils are purple and a little larger than Brago's small ones. She has blue-black hair like Brago that goes a lil' past her shoulders. Her skin is pale but not as pale as Brago's n' she also has a purple dress with a dark purple bow tied around her neck and a white, long-sleeved shirt underneath. Her height is about Zatch's height. And you can't load pictures up on your profile on this site if it's for free. If you have a homepage then you can load it up via that. Hope all that helps._

_**greenway:** Here's the next chapter._

_**Brago's lil sis Veronica:** Um... I might put Zophise in, but if i do that won't be for a while. I'll put it into consideration. :)_

_**Luminara Windu:** Well i'm really glad you like this fic. :) Here's the next chapter! Has a nice, long talk between Kalu and Zatch Bell. :3_

_**caslspirit15:** Heheh... You'll just have to find out how Kalu'll talk to Brago hear soon. Other than the fact that there's going to be a battle royal next chapter, i'm not telling you anything. :)_

_**Julie Osorio:** I'm not going to stop! Don't worry about that!_

_**angel61991:** Here's the next chapter!_

_**Itachi'sgirl:** Um.. Kiyo is back in the human world. Well here's the next chapter!_

_OK people there ya go! The next chapter! I'll try to update soon! I have to go now, so so long for now. I'm signing off. BYE!_


	18. Cry…

_FINALLY i can update! Sorry folks for the long wait, I've been busy with school n' other stories n' all this other good whatnot. Hm... I hope you peeps enjoy this chapter! Heheheh.. You'll wanna read it to find out something at the end! Oops did i just say that? (smirks) Yeah... well... Just read it, 'kay?_

_N' it turns out that a lot of people thought that the mamodo who just appeared last chapter was Sugino... Well... You're all wrong! Muwahaha! For theselect couplewho guessed it right, congrats:) Just a hint... the mamodoappeared in episode 12..._

_Well let's get on with this chapter!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Zatch Bell or ANYTHING related to it! But I DO own Kalu! She's mine:)_

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Gift from the Dark

**Chapter 17**

**Cry…**

Kalu gave a scream of fright and landed on the ground with a thud. She gasped as pain shot through her small body and she howled. The other mamodo's tree roots backed away as he saw her lying on the ground.

"Kalu!" shouted Brago. He turned to look at her on the ground, and then his attention averted to the plant mamodo a few yards off. Now why did this have to happen, he though to himself, and why were these mamodos attacking Kalu?

The mamodo that was controlling the roots gave a sinister grin and laughed. Brago stared at him and suddenly remembered back to one of his fights for Mamodo King. He and Sherry had been out in the forest, fighting a mamodo and his partner. They defeated them that day, and that was also when Sherry had collapsed in battle. Brago carried her back to safety soon as it was all over.

So was this mamodo after revenge or something else? This seemed like a good reason for Brago, although he still didn't understand why there had been another mamodo not too long ago that tried to take Kalu away. That was when all the trouble started…

Sitting up, Kalu stared across at the other mamodo. Her eyes widened and she said nothing. Zatch just looked at her with his golden eyes and asked, "Are you alright?"

She nodded, but was still silent. Brago gave Zatch an odd look but was gone unnoticed. His attention was quickly drawn back to the mamodo.

"Pokkeiro, what are you doing?" shouted Zatch, now facing the plant mamodo. The mamodo now identified as Pokkeiro just laughed.

"What I want to do," was all he said. Then, he raised his hand into the air and plunged it into the ground again. The ground slightly shook and many more roots sprouted and rose into the air.

"Kalu, get back!" commanded Brago. His daughter nodded slightly and scooted backwards a few inches. Zatch ran up beside the dark mamodo to help him out.

Suddenly, without warning, the roots lunged forward, aiming towards the group of three. Brago quickly raised his hand which was soon engulfed in a purple aura. The trees were sent crashing to the ground as the gravity increased. Zatch ran around the fallen roots and opened his mouth as lightning emerged. It reached Pokkeiro and hit him, knocking him to the ground.

Brago then darted over to where the plant mamodo was and thrusted his fist at his face. Pokkeiro dodged his assault by jumping backwards. The other growled and chased after him. Zatch watched as the dark mamodo ran after Pokkeiro. He was waiting for a right moment to strike so he wouldn't hit Brago.

Then his time came when Pokkeiro ran behind a tree which turned out to be one of his tree warriors disguised as real tree. Brago was knocked backwards as the minion swiped at him with its arm-like branches.

The mamodo king took this as an opportunity to blast the other. He opened his mouth and a powered up version of his Zaker attack shot out, hitting Pokkeiro. This sent the plant mamodo flying backwards as he hit his back against a small boulder.

A cry of pain slipped through Pokkeiro's lips as he fell forwards. It was at this moment that Brago, whom had just finished fighting off the tree warrior, ran over and grabbed the mamodo by the arms. With a growl, Pokkeiro glared up at Brago.

"Now tell me this," began the dark mamodo, "Why is it that you are after my daughter?"

Pokkeiro squirmed a little, trying to break free from the other's tight grasp. But he soon gave up and just snarled back. "Haven't you heard the rumors here?" he asked smartly.

Growling, Brago squeezed the plant mamodo's arms together tighter. Not this again… What were these rumors he kept hearing about?

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Chuckling, Pokkeiro shook his head. "Oh… everything. The fact that one of the coldest mamodos known in this world had offspring with a human… It's very uncanny, you know." A surge of pain shot through his body as Brago's grip tightened on his tree-like arms.

"Tell me more," hissed Brago.

"I'm not saying anything."

Amber eyes watched as the scene went on, and then Zatch frowned. He walked up to where Pokkeiro and Brago were standing. "I think that I can take care of this, Brago," he said. "I'll take him in and talk to him, find out what's going on. You should go take care of Kalu."

Brago only stared at him, and then averted his crimson gaze over to where his daughter was. Kalu was sitting on the ground, tears swelling up in her eyes. She was sitting beside a tree and had her legs curled up to her chest.

"Daddy…" she whimpered. "Stop the fighting…" Finally, one of the tears under her eyes trickled down her cheek. "Just… Stop it…"

He was silent. Brago had nothing to say, but when he suddenly felt a sharp pain bolt right up his arm he let go of Pokkeiro. A growl of pain escaped from his lips and he glared as Pokkeiro ran a few feet away. Turns out he had bitten him, forcing him to let go while he was distracted.

"Damn…" sputtered Brago and he glared. His ruby eyes disappeared into his eyes and he cursed under his breath. Both Brago and Zatch eyes Pokkeiro carefully, whom was standing still, grinning wickedly.

Suddenly there was a scream, and the dark mamodo and king turned their heads around only to see Kalu wrapped up in the arms of a tree warrior. Her face was paler than usual with fear and her clouded purple eyes were wide.

"Daddy, Zatch!" she screamed. "Help me!" She gasped as the minion's branches for arms tightened around her. The girl could feel the arms of it slowly starting to squeeze her and she began to cry. "It hurts, make it stop!"

Brago stood still, not knowing what to do. If he attacked the tree then he'd end up attacking Kalu as well – and that was the last thing he wanted to do. His mind began to think quickly, but there was only one idea that came to mind that could work without hurting Kalu…

"Kalu," began Brago, and the little girl stared at him from where she was. "You have to use your Reis spell!" he shouted. Zatch's golden head spun around to face him and his eyes gave a flash.

"But… Daddy, I can't!" cried the girl. The grip around her waist tightened and she began to wail even more.

Growling, Brago turned his head to face where Pokkeiro was but noticed that he was gone. Just great… Now what?

"Zatch," began the mamodo, "do you know where Pokkeiro is?"

He shook his head. "No, I don't know…"

This was news that the dark mamodo didn't like. His gaze switched back to his daughter and he called back to her. "Kalu, you can do it!"

"No I can't!"

Brago was about to go and try to help his daughter, but as he began to run forward he tripped and landed face-down on the ground. There was something tugging at his feet… He looked over and saw two roots twisted around and grasping onto his legs.

He couldn't budge.

Over to the side Brago saw that King Zatch Bell had the exact same problem. The dark mamodo tried to tug at the roots but they wouldn't move an inch. Quickly he looked back over to where his daughter was. She was struggling to get her arm free, but it was difficult for her.

"Come on, Kalu!" said Zatch as he tried to pull at his own roots. "You can do it, I know you can! Your father knows that, too!"

Tears were falling down the upset girls face, and she closed her eyes tightly as she yanked her arm from the tree warrior's grasp. Slowly she managed to pull herself around.

Squeezing even tighter, the tree minion tightened its grip around the half mamodo girl. Crying, Kalu raised her hand up to the tree as a purple aura began to glow around her hand. A Reis ball soon formed and shot out rapidly at the tree, sending it to the ground.

It let go of Kalu and she fell from its grasp. Gasping, Kalu hit the ground and began breathing hard as tears strolled down her face. Suddenly the roots around Zatch and Brago let go and they could finally stand up.

The king noticed the tree warrior had disappeared, along with all the roots. He turned his tawny eyes to Brago, whom was walking over to comfort Kalu.

Holding her in his arms, Brago sat on the ground as Kalu cried into his shirt. "It's alright, Kalu… It's alright…"

A somewhat sad look overwhelmed Zatch's features as he saw the little girl crying. Her pale face was tear-stained and she had scratches on her body and clothes. She had a cut on her left arm and he could see a small hint of blood emerging from the cloth.

"What are you going to do now?" asked the king, and Brago was silent.

Finally, the mamodo spoke. "It's not what I'm going to do… It's what are you going to do? You saw that that mamodo attacked my daughter and I; and I have even told you before about one other mamodo who had done so as well. So what are you going to do about all of this?"

This time it was Zatch's turn to be silent. He turned his head over to the side and sighed. "I'll have to think about that. Right now I really don't know." His amber gaze shifted downwards to face Kalu. She looked back up at him and sniffed. "You'll be alright, OK Kalu?"

She nodded solemnly and held onto her father tighter, who began to speak to her. "Now Kalu… Do you understand why I want you to train?"

Nodding her head, Kalu spoke to Brago in a quiet voice. "Yes…"

"So now you know. And I want you to get stronger so you may defend yourself." said Brago and Kalu nodded again. Standing up, Brago picked up the girl and faced the king. "I should really be going now… Sherry is probably wondering where we are."

Bobbing his head, Zatch agreed. "Alright… I'll try to figure out what's going on around here. When I finally do, I'll let you know."

Brago then disappeared, along with Kalu. Zatch was left back alone in the mamodo world and he soon began to walk off. However, deep in the shadows, two beings were talking…

"I thought that you would succeed in that mission." said a voice.

"I did, too! But how was I supposed to know that his girl would also help in the fight?"

"You tell me, you were supposed to _win_!"

"I'm sorry, I truly am!"

"ENOUGH!" The figure slapped the other one, and Pokkeiro fell out of the shadows. Looking up, the plant mamodo shivered with fright.

The figure in the shadows emerged, revealing a pale-skinned mamodo with a strange outfit and a hood over his shoulder-length orange hair. His frown then turned into a wicked smile as he grinned devilishly at Pokkeiro.

"W-what are you going to do t-to me?" asked Pokkeiro as he shook with fright.

The figure grinned. "Oh, you'll see… Your punishment for failing with shall be very severe, just like that other pathetic mamodo that failed last time as well."

"Lord Zophise, I am sorry!" cried the other but it was too late. Zophise raised his hand and a pink light and beam started to form. It shot out at Pokkeiro and he screamed as the other laughed.

"Ha-ha! Now do you see why one should never fail me?" asked the evil one as Pokkeiro lay unconscious. "I'll come back to deal with you later… Right now I have to plan a few things." So with that, Zophise turned around and walked away.

* * *

_There's the end! N' it's Zophise! HAHA! Now lemme get on with the reviewers..._

_**Wolf of the Blue Moon:** Eh, i s'pose she will be - or already is. Well, here's the next chappy._

_**ShadowVixen:** Heh, here is the next chappy!_

_**Rae:** Heh, yeah, long time no review. :) Yes, life is pretty good. Ya just gotta look on the bright side of things. :)_

_**PsychicLunar:** You are one of the couple that DID guess that it was Pokkeiro and not Sugino. How 'bout that? Hope this chapter had enough fighting with Brago and Zatch for ya!_

_**anonimize:** Yeah... I was given a poster n' magazine (can't read it, though) in Japanese about the new movie... There's hardly any English in it... (sigh) The 2nd one is called Attack of the Mega Vulcan... Gee, i wonder what happens in it. XD Um.. I have never had ramen._

_**Yamia Ishtar:** Yeah... that's when he and Sherry appear again. But that's like... a few months from now. (cries) But then Koko and Zophise appear the week after they do again. That'll be interesting..._

_**brago's little sis Veronica:** The next chapter is updated!_

_**caslspirit15:** Well you certainly get to find out who's in the shadows in this chapter. Heh, yeah, talk to ya later!_

_**Computerfreak101:** You were one of the only people to guess that it was Pokkeiro and not Sugino. Sugino doesn't look like a tre... -.- I thought that when he carried her back was SO cute! What about you? I still have the episode recorded on my TV n' i'm not deleting it until episode 47 airs... which won't be for a while. So now i have almost the entire episode memorized n' its scary... You're looking for another site? I don't know if there's any with anything to promise for... Yes, i know that there's an episode where they fight n' he's shirtles... But i sawonly ONE pic n'Brago's back was facing thescreen! (pouts) Do you know what episode it is?Well here's the next chappy._

_**rahkshi500:** Well here's the next chappy! See, things have worked out!_

_**angel61991:** Here's the next chappy._

_**Kari Mezmaru:** Well, it certainly limits me from updating as much as i'd like to. At least it gives me something to do so i'm not always bored out of my mind although i don't like school... -.-_

_**Sara:** Nope, it's Pokkeiro! You know... the mamodo that appeared in episode 12 when we learned about Sherry's past and Koko. That guy. N' here's the next chapter!_

_There ya have it, folks! The next chapter! I'll try to update soon... but i have school to think about and this major project in Technology class that i really need to work on. (sigh) So... yeah..._

_N' just a few more months 'til Brago and Sherry appear again:) YEAH!_

_Well i'm signing off. BYE!_


	19. Thunder Rollin’ Talks a Goin’

_I am back! Sorry for the long update, but i was busy with my other Zatch Bell story which i really wanted to complete plus i had other one-shots and poems i was paying attention to. Well, 'least i finally updated!_

_But today i ama short chapter person! Muwahahahahaha!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Zatch Bell. If I did... well... Let's just say i don't and end it there._

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Gift from the Dark

**Chapter 18**

**Thunder Rollin' Talks a Goin'**

Sapphire and crimson eyes watched as Kalu slept peacefully on her bed. A bandage was seen wrapped around Kalu's left arm where she had been cut; when she and Brago had come back from the Mamodo World, Sherry had helped clean her wounds on her face and body.

Sherry took a deep breath as she sighed and leaned her head against Brago's shoulder. He wrapped an arm around his wife as they both silently stared upon their child.

This had been the hardest couple of weeks for Kalu. Exactly two weeks ago was when everything started, when she was attacked by that unknown mamodo… It all started two weeks ago.

"So… Do you think she's alright?" questioned Sherry. Brago had told her exactly what happened in the Mamodo World, and how Kalu had been attacked again. How he had told her to defend herself when she was in the grasp of the roots, the training… he informed her of everything; Sherry had not been too happy about this, but she could not do anything about it.

The dark mamodo's eyes stayed fixed on his daughter. Why was she suddenly being the target of all these other mamodos? Why did they go after her of all people? Who or what was behind all of this, if there was somebody or something?

Why did it have to be Kalu…?

"She should be, it's just a few minor wounds," responded the mamodo. "It's nothing serious. Besides, Kalu can handle this, she has my blood."

Frowning, Sherry shook her blonde head and protested. "Brago, I don't like the sounds of what you just said. It doesn't matter whether she has your blood or not because she's not full mamodo! Do understand that, Brago."

"I'm only saying it, that's all," said Brago. "I know she's only got half our blood, but still… Kalu can handle these things."

"But not as well as you can," retorted Sherry. She turned around and gave an intent look to Brago; he was silent as she continued. "Look, I know that Kalu has inherited your capabilities of bearing certain injuries, but since it's only half she is only able to endure so much."

"Don't you think I know that, Sherry?" asked Brago. Currently his eyes had just turned blank, and he turned his head to look upon his daughter. A sigh escaped his inhuman lips as he closed his eyes. When he opened them, he turned his head to face his wife.

The blonde stared back into Brago's empty eyes. She could get lost in them forever… Her head tilted to the side and she sighed as well. Looking to the side, Sherry noticed that on a clock it was close to 11:00p.m.

"Well… It's getting late," said Sherry. "I'm going to sleep now… Tomorrow I have to make sure Kalu has everything needed and ready for school coming up It starts in a couple of days, you know."

Both Brago and Sherry turned to walk down the hallway. Neither of them wanted to risk waking up Kalu from talking by her bedroom door. When the two reached and entered their bedroom, Sherry stopped and faced the dark mamodo.

She gazed up into his vacant eyes and he did back to her. Sherry then wrapped her arms around the mamodo's neck and leaned forwards as she locked lips with him. Brago held her close to him as they held the kiss. Soon as it was over the blonde just embraced her husband and sighed.

"I'm worried about our daughter, Brago…" murmured Sherry. I don't know what's going to happen next to Kalu, she mused. My gift from the dark…

"I know, Sherry," Brago's words were soft to the blonde and he then let go of her. Turning around, his wife walked over to her closet to pull out her nightgown and change into it.

Brago took light steps over to where the window in their room was and he peered through the glass frame. There were droplets of water falling from the sky and a roll of thunder bellowed throughout the night. A thunderstorm was arriving…

Shaking his head, the dark mamodo turned around. Things were just happening suddenly for some odd reason, and he had no idea what it could possibly be. He couldn't think of anyone in particular that would want to do such a thing as trying to attack Kalu. What was the point in it, anyway? What would that one being gain?

Sherry emerged from her closet clothed in her nightdress and she turned her head to face Brago. "Well… I'm going to sleep. Good night, Brago."

Lips curving into a smile, Brago walked over to his wife and gave her one last kiss before she climbed into the sheets of the bed. He watched as the blonde rolled over and soon fell asleep.

Brago turned back around. Hopefully… these next days would be better.

* * *

_Haha, short chapter:-P Well, it's getting late and i'll probably be kicked off the computer soon, so i'm gonna respond to all you reviewers now!_

_**Wolf of the Blue Moon:** School can be hard. It takes a lot of paying attention to if ya wanna get good grades. Well, here's the next chapter!_

_**ShadowVixen:** Well i hope you've been patient:-P Twas a long update, but here's the next chapter!_

_**angel61991:** Here's the next chapter._

_**anonimize:** Here's the next chappy!_

_**Computerfreak101:** Makes you wonder if they ever did a re-run of the entire series in Japan so that way everybody could see him MULTIPLE times! (sigh) Not fair...-.- Yeah, a take over. But the owner of ZB would have money to keep it to himself while we have nothin'. (sigh) Maybe we could persuade him to make an alternate show related to ZB but about Brago and Sherry and the other cool characters if plan A fails? Heh.. I'm sure Zophie is havin' loads of fun with all this music abound. Here's the next chapter!_

_**Rae:** Here it is, the next chapter!_

_**PsychicLunar:** Um... I don't know if i'll have Koko in this story. She's gonna appear in one other story (not sayin' which, otherwise i'd be spoiling something). Do you think i should have her appear? If so, then what do you think I could have happen or how Kalu meets up with her? Not exactly planned but i can still ask:)_

_**Sara:** It's alright... I know what you mean by school taking over. (sigh) Oh well... i'd rather have an education and know about things to write about rather than not:)_

_**rahkshi500:** Eh.. Zophise causes too much trouble 'round here. He lets out all the bad mamodos and does other things... -.- Well, here is the next chapter!_

_**Alison:** I don't care for it too much._

_**Yamia Ishtar:** You really think it was good? (smiles) Thanks! I'm nottoo good wiht fight scenes... You have Zatch Bell manga too? Heh, well, its better than not seeing them:)_

_**Wolf of the Night Rain:** Here's the next chapter!_

_There ya go, peeps! I had an odd/cool dream the other day... I had a dream thinking it was real where Brago and Sherry DID hook up and then i was watching an episode of it on TV and i decided to email everybody about it,saying that they DID hook up, but then i woke up and realized it wasn't true. (cries) Oh the cruel truth..._

_Anyway, i have to sign off now. It's a school night and i need to get some rest! Hope that, although it was short, that this was a good chappy for all of you peeps! I'm signing off now.. .BYE!_

_-Twi_


	20. Morning's Promises

_Sorry for the false update thing yesterday! It's just that i had put something inthis chapterand updated this storyat my Dad's place, but when i went to my mom's and checked something i realized that it wasn't true! So i had to delete it and wait to update this story again today! So sorry about that!_

_Anyway... Here's the next chapter!_

_Disclaimer: While I go and feel REALLY smart (sarcasm) about puttin in wrong info, i'm just gonna say this: I don't own Zatch Bell buti DO own Kalu!_

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Gift from the Dark

**Chapter 19**

**Morning's Promises**

Kalu awoke the next morning to her mother slightly shaking her. Her lilac eyes slowly flipped open and she stared drowsily at her mother who smiled down at her. The hybrid mimicked her mother's actions, though her smile wasn't as large. She was still slightly upset from the previous day.

Her thoughts raced back to the pain she went through… That mamodo… back in her father's world… He tried to hurt her… But her father and the Mamodo King had helped her. She was happy about that, though. Kalu also took quite a liking to Zatch… He just made her feel…

…Happier…

"Good morning, Kalu," Sherry spoke to her daughter.

"Morning, Mamma," said Kalu, rubbing her eyes lightly. Yawning, the little girl stopped what she was doing and looked up at Sherry. "Where… where's Daddy?"

"He went out for a bit," responded Sherry. "Don't worry… Brago will be back in a bit."

"Alright…" Kalu yawned again, and sat up in her bed as she looked down at the floor. Yuki was meowing up at the girl and she smiled as she lightly hopped down and petted the kitten.

"Come on," said Sherry, "Let's get you some breakfast."

Kalu didn't respond but just followed her mother out of her room. Her bare feet made tapping sounds as she walked on the wooden floor of the mansion.

-o-o-o-o-o-

After the little girl had finished her morning meal, she went outside and sat on the front deck as she began to think. Her mother walked outside, too, and sat down next to Kalu; both sat in silence.

The small hybrid child looked down onto the ground and sighed. Her left arm was still wrapped up in a small bandage. At least it wasn't in a cast… otherwise she wouldn't be able to move that arm at all. If it wasn't for her father and the king, she probably would have had a much more severe injury.

Glancing down at the girl, Sherry smiled. "What are you thinking of, Kalu?'

"Hmm?" She looked up at her mother. "Oh… Nothing really," she said. Kalu turned her head down to look back at her feet. "But I did meet this really kind mamodo, when Daddy took me to his world…"

"Oh?"

The other nodded. "Mmhmm. It was the king… His name is Zatch Bell."

This bit of information sparked a slight interest to the blonde. "Zatch Bell? The blonde mamodo who won the battle? You met him?" Her daughter nodded and wrapped her arms around her legs.

"He… was nice to me." Sherry watched as the little girl looked back up at her. "Do… do you think that the other kids at school will be nice to me? Like he was?"

I wonder why she's asking this, pondered Sherry, maybe she's… afraid of going to school? Well… she's been home-schooled all her life, so I'm sure she is.

"Yes, I'm sure that they will be," reassured the woman. Kalu smiled and hugged her mother around the waist. Sherry wrapped her arm around her daughter and looked off to the side. If those children _weren't_ nice to her daughter, a certain somebody wouldn't be very happy…

Suddenly off to the side, the blonde spotted Brago walking up the slope. Raising her hand, Sherry waved to her husband and then turned to speak with her daughter.

"Your father is here," she said.

"I know. I sensed him coming…"

This remark made Sherry stare down at her daughter, who was looking elsewhere. Her powers were all suddenly appearing… She was no longer acting the same as she used to ever since that one mamodo tried to kidnap her. That was when her powers were first unleashed… For the past six years, Kalu was acting like a normal child. But now… she was acting more like Brago.

More like a mamodo…

Her thoughts continued on to how she proclaimed a lot before she had Kalu that she absolutely despised mamodos and Brago all humans. Good and bad. Yet… they didn't hate each other. Their marriage, their daughter… those two things were the very proof of that …But they still had their opinions about each other's kind, and Kalu was a mix of both. Neither Sherry nor Brago could hate her, even if she was a mix. She was theirs, their daughter.

"I see Kalu's up," Sherry snapped out of her thoughts when her husband's voice greeted her ears. Her azure orbs turned in the direction of the dark mamodo and she gave a welcoming smile.

"Hi, Daddy…" said Kalu shyly. Even though she had forgiven her father and now understood what he had done and why, her feelings were still slightly off.

Brago's crimson orbs drifted down to his daughter's left arm. Kalu had received a severe cut right there, but at least it was going to heal.

"Well I think I'll get going now," began Sherry as she stood up. They hybrid turned her purple eyes to her and grabbed her hand. Sherry looked down at her and smiled. "I'm just going to get your supplies for school. It _does_ start tomorrow."

A saddening expression overwhelmed the girl's face. "Alright… Will you be back soon?" she inquired.

"Of course," Her attention averted from her daughter to Brago. "I'll be gone for a bit. Watch over Kalu for me."

"You really expect me to do something else?" inquired the mamodo sarcastically. The other smirked and said her goodbyes as she began to walk off, saying she'd be back in an hour or two. Brago turned his attention to Kalu.

They were both silent as soon as Sherry left. Brago watched Kalu as she fiddled with her thumbs and played with her blue-black hair in silence. After a while, he spoke.

"I know you're thinking about something. What?"

The hybrid only looked up at him and shrugged. "…It's nothing…" She went back to playing with her hair.

The mamodo only rolled his eyes. He wouldn't be surprised if she was thinking about something from yesterday… At least she wasn't acting too morose like she had been for the past two weeks. The fact that she wasn't crying or frowning was a good sign.

"Daddy?" His thoughts were interrupted when Kalu spoke to him. "Can we go out in the forest? Me wants to climb some trees…"

He only shook his head and smirked. Another good sign was that she was slowly starting to go back to her old habits…

"Sure," he said and the girl smiled. He let her climb onto his shoulders for a piggy-back-ride as he began to head out to the forest.

* * *

_I just found this thing the other day that is a parody cartoon of Harry Potter. It's REALLY weird but REALLY funny! I have a link to it in my profile... somewhere.. -.-_

_Anyway here's my responses to all you reviewers!_

_**angel61991:** Here is the next chapter._

_**ShadowVixen:** Well that's good! N' here's an update!_

_**Crying White Wolf:** (sigh) If only they were all real... It's the cruel truth, i tell you! It'd be cool if they just had a movie about them... Heh.._

_**Wolf Called Killer:** Yeah, heheh. Glad you like 'em and here's an update!_

_**PsychicLunar:** Well... i guess i'll just leave Koko out of this story. I have already planned to put her into another one of mine anyway (said too much :-x). But if i DO think of a way i might put her in._

_**Evil Chibi Krayon Plushie:** That must have been a lot of reading! XD I wonder how many people will do what you did n' read all thechapters soon as i put more in. Heh. Here's the next chapter!_

_**Computerfreak101:** Yeah... I kinda heard about that... in a way. How i know is that i have seen an episode titled 'When Brago is Without Sherry' or something... And i noticed that that was one of the last (or the last, i can't remember) episodes that he appears in. (sigh) Well, if he IS gone from the series forever, at least it wasn't by having his book burned! You see on that one website it says that he is still active in the battle for king. (shakes head) I just hope that Cartoon Network buys all the episodes so we can see for ourselves... or get the DVD's if they ever come out. XD I know that number overpowers money, but you know how people are these days.. corrupted. -.- So you never know what will happen... (sigh) Here's an update!_

_**anonimize:** Um... Doesn't 'Konjiki no Gash Bell' (Japanese name for Zatch Bell) translate to 'Golden Gash Bell'? Or 'Gash of Gold'? (I have one Jap. version of the manga and in it there's little English and one bit says 'Gash of Gold'.) I think you might have just found the translation of the Japanese name. :) Yeah, i like Naruto._

_**Alison:** OK, i forgive you. But please don't do that again. And... may i ask why you were sad?_

_**Yamia Ishtar:** Yeah... I was mad when the dream ended. Alas, twas too good to be true. Oh well. Sometimes fantasy is more fun, considering that that would never happen. :) Here's the next chapter!_

_Oh, and the next chapter: Kalu finally goes to school!_

_Hope y'all like this chapter! I'm signing off now to perhaps work on another story to get rid of this depression i got. :( See ya!_

_-Twilight_


	21. Just the Way I Am

_Hey, y'all! Sorry for the long update, but i've been busy! Well, it's getting late and i haven't even eaten dinner yet so i'm probably gonna go find something to eat as soon as i'm done, so i'm gonna hurry up and finish this!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Zatch Bell. However, KALU IS MINE! HEEHEE! And so are the other characters you don't see in the show such as Emma, Lilly, and other kids at Kalu's school. And so on, but i'm not gonna go through 'em all. TEEHEE!_

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**Gift**** from the Dark**

**Chapter 20**

**Just the Way I Am**

It was morning. Everyone had already eaten breakfast, gotten in the car, and was now heading to Kalu's new school. Sherry decided to drive and Brago was in the front seat next to her. The hybrid child was sitting in the back, holding onto her book-bag and staring out the window. Her pale purple eyes watched the different things zoom by quickly and she sighed.

Sherry glanced at her daughter quickly before asking, "Everything all right, Kalu?"

In response, Kalu only shrugged. "Yeah… But I'm afraid to go to school."

"Why?"

The other waited a moment before answering. "…What if the other kids don't like me?" Her eyes averted to her parents' gaze. Brago only shook his head.

:"I'm sure you'll be just fine," he said. "There's no reason they wouldn't."

Kalu only sighed again and rested her chin on her bag, which was in her lap. Brago switched his attention over to his wife, who gave him a quick glance. Both of them knew that it was possible for their daughter to be rejected…

They'd just have to find out what was next.

Soon the school was in sight. There was a small, separate building that was designated for the first graders, which was where Kalu was to go. Sherry pulled the car to a stop and climbed out of the vehicle. Brago and Kalu followed, the little girl hanging onto her book bag.

She looked around and saw a few other children about her age walking over to the brick building. It was a sunny morning and birds were out and about chirping. Not too far off was an even larger building that was meant for the older children. Off to the side, two twin boys were talking to each other as their parents discussed last minute issues.

"Kalu?" The girl turned her head to the side as she heard her mother call her name. "Are you coming?"

Nodding her head, Kalu followed her parents to the door of the building. A parent or two stared at them (particularly at Brago and sometimes Kalu) as they headed down the sidewalk.

When they entered the door a few heads of children spun around to see who it was. Some of them went back to chatting while a few stared and whispered among each other. Kalu gazed around the room as a few children stared back at her.

There were many round tables all around the room where two children would sit at. Most tables were already filled up with different children. On each table there were two pieces of paper and two pencils, along with some crayons and other supplies. Different posters were all over the walls of the room. Four large windows were in the back, and one could see a playground outside. There was also a door that led outside to the playing field. The hybrid looked up at her mother who only smiled down at her.

"Don't worry, it's alright." said the blonde and the other nodded. Sherry turned her head around to face the teacher of the room and began discussing a few things. In the meantime, Brago shifted his attention to Kalu.

The little girl wrapped her arms around her father's waist in a small hug. Brago smirked and turned his attention to Sherry, who was now walking over to them.

"It's time to go, Brago. Kalu, we'll be back after school to pick you up, alright?" inquired the blonde.

A sad look overwhelmed the girl's face and she shook her head. "Mommy, please don't go."

"Kalu, honey," Sherry rested her arm against the little girl's shoulder. "Everything will be OK. Don't worry it's only for a few hours and we'll be back. You can tell me about your day as soon as we come to pick you up."

Kalu sighed. "Alright…" Sherry kissed her on the forehead and said her goodbyes. She and Brago then walked out of the room and headed to the car.

The teacher off to the side looked down at Kalu with a warm smile. "Welcome to your first day of school," she said kindly. "What's your name?"

"Kalu," said the hybrid quietly.

"Well that's a pretty name. Now if you'll come over here, I'll introduce you to the class as soon as everybody has taken your seats." The teacher turned around but continued talking. "I haven't prepared your seat yet, so let me just see where everybody else will be, alright dear?"

Kalu slowly nodded and followed the red headed teacher over to her desk. She peered at the different papers and recognized a few words she had learned to spell. Others she didn't. Off to the side, she could see the twins from before look at a poster on the board that stated where they were seated and walked over to a table and sat down.

A couple of minutes passed and soon the entire class had arrived and was seated. The teacher, now known to be Ms. Wells, directed Kalu to where she should place her schoolbag and to a seat where one other girl was already sitting. Ms. Wells walked off after stating this would be her seat, leaving Kalu to sit down next to the girl.

"Hello," said the girl softly. Kalu looked at her and immediately noticed that she had a large scar across her right hand to the top of her shoulder. Her hair was so pale it almost looked white. Her eyes also had a pale, yet happy look to them.

"Hi," responded Kalu. She took one last look at the girl's scar before the other spoke again.

"My name is Emma, what's yours?" asked the girl.

"…Kalu,"

Emma smiled softly. "I've never head that name before, but I like it. Are you new around here? I've never seen you before." When Kalu shook her head, she shrugged. "Oh well. It doesn't matter." Her smile was never removed from her face.

"Good morning, class," said the teacher after a minute or two. The entire group of children directed their attention to the teacher. "My name is Ms. Wells, and welcome to your first day of first grade. First off, I'd like to play a little game where we introduce ourselves." The red head turned her head around and pointed to the table closest to her, where the twins were located. "You two may go first. Tell us your name and something about yourself."

The twin with the red shirt on smiled. "Hi, I'm Kenny and I like cheese." His brother was next.

"Hi, I'm Jacob and I don't like cheese. But I do like ketchup on my hotdogs."

The entire class continued to say some things about themselves, who they were, and so on until it was Emma and Kalu's turn. They were the very last in the entire class.

Kalu listened intently on what Emma had to say. "Hello, my name is Emma. I can't do very much with my right arm because it got hurt in a wreck I was in long ago. But I write with my left hand, so there's nothing to worry about."

A few of the children in the room gasped or did something else. Kalu only widened her eyes and raised an eyebrow. So… that was how she had gotten that scar…

Next thing she knew, though, was that it was now her turn. The teacher smiled as she waited for the girl to speak. "Go on, it's your turn."

"Um…" Kalu looked around the room. "Uh… Hi, my name's Kalu, and…" She really didn't have anything that she wanted to say. She couldn't speak of her being half demon; otherwise the class would laugh, freak out, or do something else. Then she thought of something. "And…I like to climb trees."

Ms. Wells only smiled and moved on with the lesson. The entire class paid attention to her lessons and so did Kalu. Then before anyone knew it, it was the end of the day and everyone was outside for recess, which was also the time they waited for parents to pick them up. Kalu was walking next to Emma in the playground.

"So, what do you like to do for fun?" asked Kalu. She had quickly made friends with Emma. Both of them didn't seem to be too popular… but at least she had one friend.

"Oh, I don't know, really…" Emma trailed off. "I guess I like to draw."

Kalu then noticed a few other children running over to them. She watched as they had somewhat curious and eager looks on their faces. What was up?

"Hey!" said one. It was Kenny. "You, Kayla is it?"

"Kalu," corrected the hybrid. Kenny ignored her, and was about to speak something until his twin brother interrupted.

"Say, why do you have those funny looking marks under your eyes?" asked Jacob, his brown eyes fixed on Kalu.

"Uh…"

"And why's your skin so pale?" asked another girl, known as Lilly. She grabbed Kalu's hand and compared it to hers. "It's almost like ashes!"

Kalu pulled away her hand from the brunette. "So?"

Lilly only smiled impishly. "Oh I don't know… it's just so different. It almost makes you look like a ghost."

Another boy decided to add effects by making ghost noises. The group that ran up to Emma and Kalu laughed.

"And look," said another person. "Black and blue is a funny hair color. Did you… what's it called? I forget, but did you color it?"

"Why are your eyes purple? Is that even possible?" asked another.

"I can't help it!" said Kalu finally. Everyone stared at her. "It's not my fault. It's just the way I am!"

"If it weren't for that purple outfit, and maybe some other things, add some dark clothes and you'd look kinda creepy." stated Lilly. A few other children agreed to this and Kalu lowered her head to look at the ground.

So, Kalu thought, they… think I'm creepy?

"That's enough," said Emma after Lilly stated her remark. "Don't blame Kalu if she's different. It's not a bad thing."

"Who asked you?" inquired Kenny. His twin agreed.

"Just because you didn't ask doesn't mean I can't say what I want," said Emma. She turned to face Kalu, who was still looking at the ground. "Come on, let's go over there."

The pale blue eyed girl pulled the hybrid along with her as they walked over to a different part of the field. They both sat on the slide, Kalu still looking at the ground.

"Don't listen to them," said Emma finally. Kalu looked up, her purple eyes putting on a look of confusion. "What they say doesn't matter, alright?" Emma gave her small smile again. "I'm made fun of a lot, too, because of my scar."

Kalu watched as Emma sighed. "Was the wreck you were in scary?" she finally asked after a minute of silence.

Emma's eyes widened and she looked over to the hybrid. "Um… yes." She lowered her head, too, at that moment. "…You see… my own Daddy was driving at the time. I have no mom; she died when I was born. And Daddy also likes to drive around really crazy, and one night I was with him and he started to get all upset and frustrated. He couldn't see the road for some reason and we ended up in a big wreck."

Kalu stared. That must have been frightening for her… Just then Emma raised her head back up with her eyes closed and was smiling again.

"But don't worry about me. That was long time ago." She opened her eyes and took a good look at Kalu. "But… can I ask you something personal?"

The purple eyed hybrid nodded her head. "Yes, I don't mind."

The other girl was hesitant to say this, but after a minute she finally asked. "…How… how did you get those black marks on your eyes?" she inquired.

"I…" What was Kalu to say? 'Oh, I do because Daddy is a demon'?

Of course not!

"That's alright; you don't have to tell me."

Kalu looked up when Emma said that. "I… I don't?" The other shook her head, which made the hybrid smile. At least the secret could last a bit longer… But what if she lost control of her powers while at school?

Suddenly Kalu heard her name being called and she spun her head around only to see her mom at the front of the door to the building. Brago was next to her, his arms hidden behind his back like usual.

"Kalu, time to go!" called Sherry.

The little girl smiled and stood up. She faced Emma, who was looking up at her. "I have to go now," she said, "Mommy's calling me."

"OK, bye Kalu."

"Bye."

And with that, the little girl ran over to her parents to go home.

* * *

_Yep... Kalu's first day of school. Hopefully i can figure out what i'm gonna do for the next chapter 'cause i haven't really thought of it. Anybody want something to happen in this story (like maybe something minor?) that they'd want me have happen? If so, then please say so! It just may give me an idea or two for later on:)_

_Now onto my reviewers!_

_**PsychicLunar:** Naruto is cool, and--hey! Kakashi isn't yours! Yeah, well... it could be also translated as 'The Golden Gash Bell', but when the Jap. exchange student came she gave me a Jap. version of the first manga volume, and in it it says 'Gash of Gold' somewhere in Englsih. Yep, it has VERY little English, but there was still some in it! So i say 'Gash of Gold'. :) Yuyu Hakushow MIGHT be on Adult Swim, but i'm not too sure about that._

_**Computerfreak101:** OMG, thank you SO much for showing me the Snape song, thing! I was in tears i was laughing so hard. I even showed it to my parents, 'cause they like Harry Potter, too, and some other people. They all loved it! Ooh, Kalu loosing powers in school... you're giving me ideas, Computerfreak:)_

_**ShadowVixen:** Here's an update!_

_**Wolf of the Blue Moon:** Here's the next chapter!_

_**angel61991:** Here's an update._

_**anonimize:** Oh, but the ZB game is fun! Although in story mode when they talk its so corny it's funny, but that's not the point! It's all about the battles and beating up your least favorite character with your favorite. :)_

_**Alison:** I'm sorry, hope it's all better for you._

_**Crying White Wolf:** Here's an update!_

_**Blood of the Wolf:** It's alright! Looks like Zophise can't control his minions. Heh. Oh well, who cares about him? Kalu likes Zatch as in a friendly way... not love or anything. But i'm sure Brago is still just as upset about it. XD_

_Well people, i'm getting hungry so i'm signing off now to go get some mac n' cheese. YAY! XD Until next time,_

_Twilight._

_Oh, andi forgot to say this to you all! For those that have the Zatch Bell game, i have discovered something VERY fun to do! Plus it's funny to watch! OK, first what you have to do is play as Kanchome and Folgore as your team. Your opponents: Zophise and Koko. When you battle him, keep using his Poruk (toge) attack. The one where he turns into this wheel thingamabob... Anwyay, keep using that on Zophise and you'll see him fly up REEEAALLY high into the air if you hit him! It's SO funny/fun to watch! Sometimes he even starts laughing really freaky as he's flying through the air, almost as if he's laughing at his own freakiness/stupidity. Just try it, it's LOADS of fun! Heehee!_

_Now for real i'm signing off. BYE!_


	22. Practice Makes Perfect

_Sorry for the long update! (sigh) I've been out of school for three weeks because i'm ina year round and we get four 3-week long breaks throughout the year, and i just got one! But now it's over and that means school starts Monday... Oh well._

_Here's the next chapter! Remember to read and review! AND NO FLAMES!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own ANYTHING related to Zatch Bell WHATSOEVER! But i DO own Kalu!_

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Gift from the Dark

**Chapter 21**

**Practice Makes Perfect**

It was the fifth of October and a Friday afternoon, about two months after Kalu started school. The hybrid child was at her home working on some homework of hers, just a few simple math equations was all.

Spread out over a table was many pieces of paper. Some of them were blank, others were colored on, and a few were apart of Kalu's homework.

Kalu laid her head on the wooden table and sighed as she thought about the past two months. She and Emma had become quite close friends. However, Emma was the only one that would ever speak to Kalu aside from the teacher. All the other children enjoyed to pick on the hybrid, especially the twins, Kenny and Jacob, and the girl Lilly, all because of her abnormalities.

But the girl was thankful to have at least one friend. Emma was always there to stand up for Kalu since she never really stood up for herself. She was the sister Kalu never had.

During the two months, her father, Brago, had also taken her back to the Mamodo World many times to go through training. He took her there at least once a week… and every time they went, Zatch Bell always made an appearance to see Kalu. The two of them had also become friends. This slightly annoyed Brago but he was glad to see that Kalu had another friend. He was also quite proud to see that Kalu was beginning to take control of her powers that she had inherited from him. So far, Kalu had only used the Reis and Giganoreis spells. No other spells had been discovered yet, but Brago was sure that they'd appear eventually. After all, she _was_ his daughter.

Just then Sherry walked into the room that Kalu was in. She turned, smiled, and walked over to her daughter.

"Hello Kalu. Doing homework?" inquired Sherry as she leaned over the child's shoulder. The other nodded.

"Yeah… um, Mamma, could you help me with something?" asked the little girl. Sherry smiled and nodded.

"Yes, what is it?" Kalu pointed to a few problems on the paper in front of her. The blonde looked down and noticed the equations. They were just like the ones her mother always yelled at her at for not doing quite correctly…

Sherry was silent for a moment, and her daughter looked up at her with curiosity. The blonde, however, was lost in her thoughts as she recalled all of her mother's screams.

"_Why can't you understand such a simple problem?"_

Her mother would constantly yell at her with negativity in all her words. However, just because her mother was cruel to her, Sherry would not be cruel to Kalu. The blonde was suddenly snapped out of her thoughts as her daughter called out to her.

"Mamma?" Kalu's purple orbs stared into Sherry's crystal blue ones. The mother blinked, and then smiled.

"Oh, I'm sorry Kalu. Yes, I can help you." After being showed the problems, the blonde nodded and began tohelp the girl with her homework. Addition was easiest to do for Kalu while subtraction was a little harder. Instead of being harsh whenever her daughter made a mistake, Sherry was kind and helped out the girl.

Kalu asked about a few more problems and the woman helped her out. After a while, Brago walked into the room after coming back from hunting again. He noticed the two girls over to the side and went over to see what was up.

"What're you two doing?" inquired the dark being, glancing down at the paper in Kalu's hands.

"Hi, Daddy!" Kalu greeted with a warm smile. "Mamma's helping me with homework." She watched as Brago took up the paper in his hands and stared at it and then soon handed it back to her.

"Hn, let's just hope you are doing a good job on them," spoke the mamodo with a smirk.

"Don't worry, she is," Sherry informed as she looked down at her daughter and smiled. "We just have to remember that practice makes perfect." Kalu smiled at her mother's words while her father smirked.

Brago sat down in the chair next to the two and watched as Sherry helped Kalu with her last problem. After the mother finished helping Kalu, the little girl gave her a hug and thanked her for the help.

After that, the hybrid walked up to her father and sat in his lap. The dark mamodo smirked and wrapped his arm around Kalu as he looked over to his wife. "I was thinking about taking Kalu to the Mamodo World later on today to train her for a couple of hours."

As he said this, Sherry sighed. "Alright, but remember that I wanted to spend a little family time later tonight. It's Friday and you know how it is… We have to spend a little time together, you know."

"I know, I know. But we don't want Kalu to lose control again, do we?" Brago glanced down at the hybrid, who wasn't paying attention, though she did turn to look at him when she heard her name.

"What happened?" Kalu looked up at her father.

"I'm going to take you to the Mamodo World again today." informed the dark mamodo. Kalu smiled.

"Oh, does that mean I get to see Zatch Bell again?" she asked.

Sherry watched as Brag paused. Again, Kalu was bringing up the fact that she'd see the Mamodo King again sometime when they reached the other world. It wasn't something Brago liked to hear about, since he never particularly liked Zatch, but Kalu had a friend, and that's what mattered… even if he was the king.

"Daddy?"

"Hn?"

"I _do_ get to see him again, right?"

"…Yes, you do."

The little girl squealed and hopped out of the dark mamodo's lap. "OK, lemme just go get ready really quick!" With that, she darted out of the room and headed to her own.

Turning his head, Brago glanced at his wife, who only shrugged.

"I suppose it's not that big of a deal that she's befriended Zatch," spoke the woman. "I mean, she only has two friends, him and this girl Emma I always hear about."

"Perhaps," agreed Brago, "but still, I don't like the fact that it's Zatch Bell too much."

"Does it matter?" inquired Sherry. "Sure, it's Zatch, but you have to think of the good he's done. I mean, he let you stay behind with me. And if he didn't, we wouldn't have Kalu."

Brago shrugged. "Yeah… sure." Over to the side, the clock turned to four in the afternoon. "Well, I suppose I should go get Kalu. If we're to all do something tonight we should leave as soon as we can."

His wife nodded and gave him a quick kiss. "Just don't take too long," she said. "And since you two are going out I guess I'll go to the store for a bit. See you later, Brago."

As Sherry walked out of the room, Brago headed to Kalu's to make sure that she was ready. She was, so they both headed to the Mamodo World while Sherry to the store.

-o-o-o-o-o-

The trees were all different red and orange colors in the Mamodo World. The cold of fall was starting to take hold of the world, and the only green colors there were was the grass.

Kalu looked up and smiled. She still didn't like her father's world too much, since she was quite content with the human world, but Zatch was the only reason why she enjoyed coming. He was her second best friend, and he always made her laugh.

"Are you ready to begin, Kalu?" Brago watched as his daughter turned to face him and nodded. "Good. First we'll start off with a test. Try to throw a Reis attack at that tree right over there." His clawed hand pointed over to a rather small tree.

Raising her right hand, Kalu aimed at the small tree. Just a small attack, she thought to herself, no need for a large one. A purple aura started to surround her hand and a ball of energy began to form. It shot out from her palm like a bullet from a gun and smacked the tree as it fell to the ground. Smiling, the 6-year old glanced at her father.

The demon nodded his head. She was really starting to get the hang of things… like Sherry had said with her schoolwork, he'd say it for her training: practice would make perfect. Brago then began to speak. "Excellent. Now let's try something else…"

-o-o-o-o-o-

Outside the empty Belmond mansion, a figure walked through the shadows. It looked around and growled to itself.

"Damn… I should have come at a different time. Ah well, they'll have to arrive sooner or later. I can just have some _fun_ while they're out…"

The figure walked out from the darkness, revealing who it was. Dressed in his normal doll-like outfit with the long orange hair stood Zophise, staring up at the mansion.

"I wonder what their reactions will be when they come back…" The mamodo smirked and then headed up to the mansion to carry on his plan.

* * *

_Cliffy! Heheh, i got the Zatch Bell DVD that has the first four episodes earlier today and was watching it for a bit. I was kinda PO'd at the fact that there's no Japanese audio so i can't hear their Jap. voices. -.- oh well. I'm thankful i got it anyway. :) If anyone wants to know where i got it it was at Best Buy. Now on to myreviewers!_

_**PsychicLunar:** What does Kalu mean? Nothing really... i just made up a bunch of names and then picked which one i liked best, which happened to be 'Kalu'. I don't remember what the other ones were... 'lost the list for 'em a while ago. Yes, Emma is human. She just has a careless father who got them in an accident so she has that large scar up her arm. Ooh, where'd you find that pic of Kakashi? Here's an update!_

_**Computerfreak101:** You know, i don't think that it'd be as funny if Snape really WAS singing it, what about you? I just love how they cut his mouth apart and moved it up and down... it's so funny like that:D the ZB game is good, the Story Mode isn't that great but the fighting is the whole point of the game (the fighting, by the way, completely rocks!) Would you believe me if i told you that Zophise's voice is even more screwed up in the game?_

_**Alison:** No problem. N' the ZB game is cool, though it can be hard at times! Heh, here's an update!_

_**rahkshi500:** I can understand that school takes away time, no biggy. I absolutely despise the essays we get whenever i'm in school... -.- And, rahkshi, all that's happening to Kalu is just apart of the story. I'm not putting her through all this 'cause i think it's fun... n.n Oh, and thanks for pointing out that error. (slaps head) Now i feel silly. XP Yeah... n' i said my response to your game thing in your other story._

_**anonimize:** Well... i'll admit that the game has its downsides, but overall it's really fun. You should at least rent it to try it out... In my opinion the fighting is all that matters, and that's the coolest part of the game. I'd probably rate it a 7 or 7.5 or close to that anyway. Here's an update!_

_**Sara:** Ya probably won't be able to read this for a while but i'm still responding. :) Sorry you got a C, those such tremendously. Hope that you'll be able to get back on soon! See ya!_

_**ShadowVixen:** Naps? Haha, i'm afraid i never participated in those. XP Here's the next chapter!_

_**Yamia Ishtar:** Oh? The Snape thing? Uh (looks for the llink) Go look for Computerfreak's review for chapter 20, it's in there. I'd put it right here but some of the symbols wouldn't show up. :-/ Oh, and there's only one 'w' in it, so you'll wanna add 2 more in the link.Here's an update!_

_**angel6530:** Two days? That's a long time. Well, hope you like it!_

_**angel61991:** Here's the next chapter._

_**Wolf Girl V:** Heh, well, here's the next chapter!_

_**Rae:** Glad ya think so n' here's an update!_

_**Blood of the Wolf:** Heehee, Brago has a fluffy cape:D Now now, i think Brago has to go to an anger management class that has an anti-Brago instructor, that way he won't kill the person. :-/ (glances at Sherry) ...Make that both of them. Wouldn't you agree, Blood? o.o I'm now scared, too. (slowly backs away)_

_OK, here's the next chapter! And a hint for a future chapter (dunno which one) Emma will play a VERY important role in something that happens! And that something is BAD! Heehee, i'm shutting up now._

_Hope y'all enjoyed the chapter! I have to get off now! BYE! Read and review! NO FLAMES!_


	23. Calamity

_Hey, y'all! Here's an update! I have something important to say at the bottom! Enjoy reading!_

_Disclaimer: Nothin' related to Zatch Bell is mine EXCEPT for Kalu. She belongs to ME!_

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A Gift from the Dark

**Chapter 22**

**Calamity**

"Kalu, shoot another Reis spell at me," Brago commanded his daughter. Training hadn't ended yet but the dark mamodo was planning on calling it quits very soon. Both had been training for about two hours now, and she was doing quite well; night had befallen the Mamodo World about an hour ago. The young hybrid before him lifted her hand into the air and released a hurtling ball of gravity. Brago jumped to the side, dodging it easily. "Shoot another!"

Purple orbs focused on her father, Kalu began collecting energy in her palm once more. The violet aura enclosed her hand and she could feel the power gathering; however, she noticed that she was collecting a little more than usual this time…

"Huh?" Her eyes widened and suddenly a larger version of the Reis spell shot from her hand and zoomed towards her father whose eyes also widened seeing the spell she launched.

Again, he jumped to the side and watched as the large ball drifted to the side and exploded as it collided with a tree. Turning around, he watched as his daughter stood with a bemused expression.

"Daddy… what just happened?"

A smirk crept up on the mamodo's inhuman lips as he walked up to the girl. "You just performed a new spell, that's what happened."

"Is that good?"

Kalu blinked as her father rustled her identical blue-black hair. "Well, you just got stronger," he responded. The other smiled as she heard her father's words.

"I did?" she asked enthusiastically. When Brago nodded his head she squealed and wrapped her small arms around him. "I did! I did! I did!" The girl began to giggle as she let go of the mamodo and turned to look at her father in the eye. "Does it have a name?" she inquired.

"It's a Giganoreis spell."

"Gigano…what?"

"Gi-ga-no-reis."

"Oh… OK."

The little girl began trying to pronounce the name of her new spell to herself a few times before Brago decided to announce it was time to leave. She looked up at him in confusion.

"But… Zatch hasn't appeared yet!" she exclaimed. "He always comes to visit!"

"I'm sure there's a reason why he's not here, Kalu."

"But I want him to come!" Kalu stomped her foot and began to pout. "Zatch promised he'd visit me every time we came here!"

"Kalu," Brago stared down at his daughter with a crimson gaze, "He's the king of this world. He has duties that mustn't be ignored. If I had won the Battle for King I would have the same responsibilities as well, and you and your mother would be living here with me."

The other frowned. "But you _didn't_ win, and we're _not_ here. I like Mamma's world better anyway."

If he had eyebrows Brago would raise one. So, she liked Sherry's world better? He preferred his own, of course, mainly because it didn't have weak humans there, excluding Sherry. He only sighed as a response. Kalu did grow up in the human world after all… so it was probably obvious that she'd like it there better.

"Whatever," mumbled Brago as he looked around, "I don't sense Zatch Bell anywhere close by. Come on, Kalu, let's go home. Your mother is probably waiting for us."

Still whining, Kalu had no choice but to follow her father. Next time she saw Zatch she wouldn't be very happy with him…

-o-o-o-o-o-

Back in the other world, Brago and Kalu appeared on the front walkway to their mansion. When they turned around they noticed Sherry walking up with a couple of bags in her hands.

"Hi, you two. Did you just get back?" asked Sherry as she walked up to her family. Both nodded their heads and the blonde smiled. "Good. That means we can spend some time together and go do something tonight after we all clean up."

Her husband merely glared at the 'clean up' remark while Kalu giggled. "Guess what, Mamma!" she said smiling.

"What?"

"I just got a new spell today! Daddy calls it the Gigigray."

"Giganoreis," Brago corrected as he rolled his eyes.

Kalu merely smiled. "Yeah, that!"

Sherry put on a pondering look on her face. Once again Kalu was becoming more like Brago… More inhuman… More like a mamodo… She shook away the thought. "That's great Kalu," she said. The blonde watched as her daughter smiled as she spun around to face the door.

"Come on, let's go already. I wanna have some fun!" said Kalu as she darted up the pathway to her home. Brago and Sherry exchanged glances and followed afterwards.

Opening the front door, the hybrid walked right through the door but suddenly stopped as her eyes gazed upon the sight she saw. Her parents entered the home, too, and also stopped; Sherry dropped the bag in her right hand and it fell to the floor with a thud.

The house was a wreck. Pictures were thrown onto the ground, drapes and rugs torn and walls beat up. To the side, fragments of glass and other plates were scattered on the ground. Across the entire house was a complete wreck; it all looked as if a tornado struck.

Mouth agape, Sherry took a small step forward. "Who… who could have done this?" she mused. "…The place is an entire wreck…"

Brago cursed under his breath as his eyes darted around the room. He didn't sense anyone or anything there… but what could have happened? He was torn from his thoughts as Kalu pulled on his arm.

"Daddy," she began, "what happened?"

"I don't know, Kalu…" responded Brago.

"Perhaps we should take a look around?" suggested Sherry. Her husband nodded while Kalu merely followed pursuit as her parents began to walk about. Kalu turned and suddenly sensed something hiding somewhere in the other room. She dashed forwards until she found Yuki hiding under a table in the Dining Room. A string was wrapped around the kitten's back paw and was preventing any movement.

"Yuki!" exclaimed Kalu as she ran over to rescue her pet. She unraveled the thread and freed the kitten as she picked her up in her arms. Kalu stroked the feline's fur as it whined. "Mamma, Daddy! Look at Yuki!" she said, now looking at her parents. They silently nodded and turned their attention elsewhere.

Suddenly, against one of the mirrors, a scratched message could be seen scribbled onto the surface written in a different language. Sherry and Kalu stared obliviously at it, not knowing what it was while Brago skimmed through the message since he was able to read it.

"Damn it…" he cursed after finishing the message. Sherry swung her head around with an inquiring look.

"What is it?" she asked. She noticed how tense Brago had become while reading it and she wondered why.

"It's him," said Brago. "He left this message: 'Next time it will be more than just your home. Next time it will be you.'"

Kalu tilted her head to the side, still holding onto Yuki, as her parents talked. Him? Who was this 'him' her father was speaking of? Next thing she knew Sherry was asking the same question.

"But who is 'him'?" Her eyes flashed when Brago answered.

"It's Zophise. He's back."

* * *

_Thankgiving is coming up! WHOOHOO! XD OK that's not the important thing i have to say, but THIS is..._

_**FFnet has a new rule stating that we're not allowed to have responses to reviewers inside of our stories anymore. However, we're able to respond to those who are joined with the site with this special thingamajig. Go to the front page of FFnet to learn more details. But the thing is, i will not be able to respond to you reviewers who are anonymous and not joined with the site. So... sorry. Unless you have email and are willing to put it up for me to respond to you THAT way, i won't be responding to you anymore. Gomen nasai. :-( I won't be answering your reviews in this chapter, either, for fear of getting caught responding one last time and getting in trouble for it. :-/**_

_Yeah... that's all i have to say. For those that **ARE** joined with the site and have the respond thingamabob thing i'll be responding to you that way:) As soon as i post this chapter i'll be clicking the'reply' button for a bit. XP...OK i'm sick of saying 'respond' so i'm gonna get this over with._

_Hope you all liked this chapter, anonymous or not. I will try to update soon but i'm going to Tennessee this Wednesday (that means no school for me! YAY! -You have to understand, i'm in year round which isn't that bad but still. XD) and i have a 6 hour drive to get there from NC! Heh. Hope my mom's iPod is charged otherwise it'll be a miserable trip. lol._

_I'm signing off now. HAPPY EARLY THANKSGIVING TO Y'ALL! Bye bye!_

_-Twi_


	24. A Haunting Past

_Hey, folks! Sorry for the long update but i've been REALLY busy with school. (sigh) Hopefully next week or the week afterwards i might get some more free time. It's just that they gave us all these essays to write, projects to do and tests to study for ALL before Thanksgiving break and they expect us to have it all done when we get back! Meh... Well, here's the next chapter! Sorry if it seems slightly rushed - but i was in a rush:)_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Zatch Bell. But i DO own Kalu!_

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A Gift from the Dark

**Chapter 23**

**A Haunting Past**

"It's Zophise. He's back." A grave silence fell upon both Brago and Sherry as those words escaped the mamodo's lips. Kalu, oblivious to what this whole ordeal was, looked up at her parents with an innocent look.

"Zophise?" she inquired. "Who's that?"

Sherry stared down at the floor in silence. She detested the mere mention of that mamodo's name. To relive everything that she went through because of him… to remember the pain she went through…

She hated him.

Kalu looked from her mother and then to her father. "Daddy, who is Zophise?" she asked, seeing that Sherry wasn't going to answer.

"He's a mamodo," responded Brago, "A mamodo that your mother and I fought back when the Battle for King took place. He's—"

"—He's the one responsible for taking away Koko," ended Sherry. Brago looked at her oddly as she shook her head. "Zophise made Koko betray me… he… he…" The blonde clenched her fists, which caught the eyes of both Brago and Kalu.

The woman probably stood as so for a few moments before Brago walked up to her. "Sherry?" His voice snapped her out of her thoughts and she turned to look at him.

"…I'm alright," she sighed. "I just… I just hate that – that _thing_!"

"I know you do," Brago nodded his head. He wrapped his right arm around the blonde's shoulders. "But come on, now's not a time to think about him."

Kalu watched as her father comforted Sherry. She had never seen her mother so worked up before… This Zophise person must have really upset her from what he did to her friend, mused the girl. Looking down at Yuki, whom was still in her arms, the hybrid sighed and glanced back at the writing on the mirror. She turned her attention back to her parents. "What are we going to do about home?" she finally inquired.

"Well, that's another issue," said Sherry. "I guess we could spend some nights in a hotel while we hire some constructors to fix the place."

"I hate hotels," growled Brago. He was about to say more when Sherry placed her index finger over his mouth.

"Yes, Brago, I know you do. But you're just going to have to deal with it." She removed her finger while Brago let an impish smirk cross his features for a quick second. Sherry sighed and then began to walk over to a spot in the destroyed mansion. "I guess we could go find some things to pack and then head out and search for a place to stay," she said.

Brago growled again and walked off. There was nothing for him to pack but his Black Book, but that was with Sherry. Luckily she had brought it with her that day for the sake of it. She would do that more often now; ever since Kalu was first attacked she brought the book with her on occasions.

The mamodo then turned his head to the side as he walked through the halls. He had just noticed it, but… there was something _odd_ around there… Brago went off to search around the house to see if Zophise left anything else behind. Meanwhile, Sherry then walked off too to go find some things to take with her. At least not too many things were damaged. She'd be able to grab some things and head out the door.

Setting Yuki down on the ground, Kalu began to head to her room up the steps. She sighed as she noticed the different ornaments around the house all smashed and glass shattered. Furniture was turned over and every once in a while there were some holes in the wall. I wonder how strong Zophise is compared to Daddy, wondered Kalu; they did beat him though in battle, right?

Suddenly, as the little girl turned a corner in the hallway, she noticed something… strange.

She thought she saw a silhouette of a strange being dressed in a robe with long, orange hair. It smiled devilishly at her and seemed to float towards her. There were no sounds made, and as it drifted closer with an outstretched hand Kalu's eyes widened as a shriek escaped her lips. The figure's hand was now inches from her own face…

And then she blacked out.

-o-o-o-o-o-

"Kalu? Kalu, are you awake yet? Kalu?"

The sound of her mother's voice drifted into the hybrid's ears. Slowly, the little girl opened her eyes and looked around.

"…Mamma?"

She was lying on her back, her head resting in her mother's lap. Brago stood about a foot away peering down at her as well. Yuki was off to the side asleep on a chair. They were all in a room inside a small building. A couch was off to the side and a tiny kitchen was seen on the other side of the room, complete with a refrigerator, oven, and other supplies. A window with long curtains could be seen and doors leading to other rooms were to the side.

Kalu looked around and blinked as she sat up. "Wha – what happened?"

"I found you lying on the ground passed out," answered Brago, "Right after you screamed."

The little girl blinked. "I screamed?" she asked. "When?"

"Earlier today, a few hours ago," answered the mamodo, "When we came back from training. Remember that the house was destroyed and the talk about Zophise?"

"Who?" Kalu was puzzled, which only made her parents even more so.

"Kalu, don't you remember?" Sherry stared down at her daughter with a curious look. "You went off to pack your belongings so we could stay in a hotel. Remember?"

"Remember what?" A bemused look was painted on the hybrid's face as she glanced at her mother and father. "Mamma, Daddy, I really don't know what you're talking about. And where are we?"

Brago and Sherry exchanged glances before turning to look at the little girl once more. "You really don't remember?" they both asked. Kalu shook her head.

The dark mamodo sighed. "You and I came back from training to meet up with Sherry to spend some family time together," he began, "We came back to the mansion and found it was destroyed. A message was found on one of the mirrors which was from Zophise – the mamodo that took Sherry's friend in the beginning of the Battle for King. Afterwards you and Sherry went to go pack so we could stay at a hotel while we hired some people to fix our home. Your mother and I heard you scream and you were found on the ground unconscious. Now we took you back to the hotel we were going to stay in and have been waiting two hours for you to wake up."

"Oh," Kalu stared at the ground and swung her feet back and forth a little. "Well… I don't remember anything." She glanced around the room once again, leaving a puzzled pure blood mamodo and human.

"Odd," Sherry mumbled as her daughter sat up and went over to pet her kitten. She turned to look at her husband. "Kalu doesn't remember anything. What do you propose happened?"

"I don't know, Sherry," answered Brago. He watched as Kalu let a soft giggle when Yuki began to purr. "I really don't know."


	25. Meeting the Father

_Yeah! Christmas break is here and i am out of school for abot two weeks! Yippee! n.n Now i absolutely KNOW i'm getting a black nano iPod. Muwahahahahahahaha..._

_Anyhow, here's an early Christmas present to all of you! I dunno if i'll make/update any stories before Christmas but just in case i don't: Merry Christmas! n.n_

_Disclaimer: Don't even think that i own Zatch Bell 'cause i don't. But don't even think that i don't own Kalu 'cause i do._

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A Gift from the Dark

**Chapter 24**

**Meeting the Father**

He chuckled to himself as he thought about the plan. Evil eyes turned to the side and landed upon a henchman standing beside him.

"Do you know why I'm so happy?" inquired the evil being.

"N-no, Lord Zophise."

The one known as Zophise let out another mild chortle and turned his attention away from the mamodo beside him. "I'm not quite sure when yet, but soon my plan shall be taken into action. I just have to find something to trigger the girl's emotion…"

The other mamodo's eyes lingered on the ground but he asked, "Do – do you mean _her_? The hybrid child?"

"Of course! Who the hell do you think I'm talking about?" snapped the other causing the henchman to flinch. Zophise calmed down a little and looked beyond the cliff he was on in the Mamodo World. "All I need to get my plan into action is to find something that can make her angry enough to do what I want her to do. Then my real plan will start and those two will _pay_…"

Looking up and beyond the powerful mamodo, the minor one gazed upon the land of his world without thought. Then his attention was brought back to Zophise. "Do you think her parents will or have figured out that you erased her memory and that you—"

"Nonsense!" yelled the orange haired mamodo with a frown. "There's no damn way they could realize what I've done to her. They've never even _seen_ me use this kind of power."

"Yes," The other mamodo's eyes wandered to the ground again. Eh… I don't think I like this job too much, he mused to himself. The boss is creepy…

A low chuckle filled the silent air around them once more and Zophise turned around. "I might as well see what information the others have for me. You are dismissed."

Nodding his head, the henchman hustled off into the trees and disappeared. Zophise looked over to the side and smirked.

"Things will turn out quite nicely…"

-o-o-o-o-o-

Twenty seven days had passed and Halloween was over. Kalu, whom had never gone trick or treating before, went out with Emma. The girl's demon side still remained a secret from all the others except for Brago and Sherry, and there weren't any plans of informing others, either.

It was a Wednesday now and school was over. Kalu had brought some Halloween candy from the night before to school with her so she and Emma could trade different sweets since she had brought hers, too.

"Hey, I'll give you a piece of dark chocolate for a Hershey's Kiss," said Emma as she held out the piece of wrapped chocolate. Kalu nodded her head with a smile and traded with her friend.

They were sitting outside with warm sweatshirts on protecting them from the oncoming cold. All the children were playing on the jungle gym, running around, or talking about Halloween night.

"That was a funny costume your daddy had on Halloween," commented Emma after a minute or two. Kalu laughed and shook her head.

"That wasn't a costume," she responded. "He always wears that. Don't you remember all those times he and Mamma came to pick me up he wore it?"

The pale eyed girl stared at the ground. "No… I don't remember." She looked up to Kalu and met her lilac eyes. "I'm sorry that I can't remember. My aunty says I have memory problems…"

"Memory problems?"

"Uh-huh. She says it was from the car accident that gave me this," at this point Emma motioned to the scar on her arm. "It means that I forget things – or so she says. I guess that crash caused it." said Emma with a shrug.

The hybrid child looked down to her own hands. I suppose that normal girls – unlike me – can't handle these things and can get hurt easier, thought Kalu as she then turned to look at her friend. Poor Emma…

"EMMA!" Both Kalu and Emma turned around to face where the abrupt voice came from. A man with a short, shaggy beard walked outside. He carried a half empty bottle of beer with him that had its lid open. The man took another swig of it before he said, "Emma, get your butt over here and let's go home. My favorite show is about to start soon…" Again he took another drink from the alcoholic beverage.

"Who's that?" inquired the purple eyed child, turning to face her friend.

"My daddy," answered Emma as she stared at the ground.

Kalu raised an eyebrow as she turned to look at the man. "Not to be mean… but he looks like he needs new clothes," she said, pointing to his dirty attire.

"I know," said the other with a slight sigh.

"If Mamma saw me like that she'd have a fit," started Kalu, "but Daddy could care less. He gets dirty all the time and Mamma makes him clean up, which he doesn't like very much."

Emma giggled but then her father's voice called out to her again. "EMMA!"

"I'm coming!" said the little girl as loud as she could. She sighed and sat up, gathering her candy. "Well… I guess I gotta go now," she said to Kalu. "See you tomorrow?"

With a nod and a smile, Kalu agreed. Then she heard another voice that she recognized.

"Kalu, honey, let's go!" The hybrid turned and saw her mother waving to her at the door. Emma's father had stepped out of the way and was drinking more beer. Brago was beside Sherry and giving a rather crude look to the drunken man, whom was completely oblivious to this. Luckily he hadn't seen the teacher's disgusted look when he passed by her…

"Hey, there are my parents," said Kalu as she stood up and Emma nodded. "Let's walk to our families together!"

The two agreed and walked up to the three at the door, both carrying their small bags of candy with them. When they reached the front door, Kalu gave her friend a quick hug before turning to her parents.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Emma."

"You too, Kalu."

"Bye,"

"Bye-bye,"

Emma headed out the door with her father and said goodbye to the teacher. Sherry turned to look down at Kalu.

"That was your friend, Emma, correct?" inquired the woman while her child nodded. Sherry's face transformed into an odd look. "I don't like the look of that man… I presume that's her father?" Again, Kalu nodded. With a sigh, the blonde headed woman shook her head. "Well… not the type I'd like to associate with. But anyhow, let's get going. Alright?"

Her daughter followed her lead and the dark mamodo did so as well. "It's humans like that that make me sick," muttered Brago as they entered the limo. Sherry had recently hired a new driver for them for when she didn't feel like driving herself. She didn't always want to live the olds ways as she used to but that didn't mean she wouldn't.

"Brago, I can't help the fact that some people are slobs," said Sherry as she closed the door behind her; she then directed the driver to take them home. Kalu clambered through the door after her father and leaned against him after putting on her seatbelt.

The mamodo merely rolled his eyes and said nothing as he turned to watch Emma leave with her father driving. "That child will get killed by that thing someday if he's not careful…"

"Daddy, don't say that!" said Kalu angrily as soon as those words met her ears. _"Don't say that about my friend!"_

There was something different about the girl as she said that, her glittering lavender eyes piercing into her father's. The mamodo stared at her for a minute until the odd feeling passed and she turned to look out the window.

Crimson eyes turned to meet azure and there was a silence. Finally after a few more seconds Sherry spoke up. "I'll admit that wasn't the best thing to say…" she said, thinking about the sensation she also just felt. It was at this time that the woman decided to change the subject. After all, it probably wasn't a big deal. "But onto other matters, you two aren't going out again tonight to the Mamodo World, are you?"

Brago shook his head. "No, I'm not heading there with Kalu again until I hear word from Zatch. He had told me that he would look into some things after the break in."

The family still had not moved out of the hotel after the incident with Zophise's break in to their abode, but sometime soon the beat up mansion would be finished and they could move back in. It was a lucky thing that Brago hadn't scared away most of the residents at the inn.

Kalu thought it was amusing to watch certain people panic slightly and hustle off. Sherry was used to it by now since she had spent time with Brago since the Battle for King. Even long ago people would give off strange looks as she passed by with the demon. And to that day they would still do that, but often it would vary when Kalu was around too.

There was a small screech as the vehicle pulled up to the hotel and the family of three climbed out. Brago glared at the building and muttered to himself as he followed his wife and child to the two front doors after Sherry gave more directions to the driver. They made their way into the building, through the front lobby, and climbed the stairs to the third floor where their room was.

As soon as they reached their destination Kalu plopped on the couch where she spotted Yuki and began to play with the kitten. Brago and Sherry stepped inside the room and started to do their own things and talk at the same time.

When Kalu turned and headed into her room for something, Brago turned to face his wife.

"Did you feel that odd presence earlier in the car with Kalu?" inquired the dark being. Sherry nodded her head. "I don't know what it was… but I really don't like it."

Shrugging, the other spoke, "I didn't really think it was that big of a deal… but I really wouldn't know as much as you would."

The mamodo turned to see their child standing in the doorway, staring at them. "Did you feel that, Daddy?" asked Kalu, talking of a different subject. Brago's eyes raised and he turned to look at the door. There was a knock.

"Hello?" called Sherry as she turned around, now facing the door as well. She walked up to it and peeked through the hole in the door. Her eyebrows rose when she turned around and spoke, "It's Zatch Bell. He's come here to the human world."


	26. Say What?

_Yeah, i updated! I was hoping to get this chapter up last night but i was forced to go to bed at 10:30... (sigh) I wanted to stay up later...(pout)_

_Alright, i'll babble about stuff later on. I'm quite positive y'all are wanting to read this chapter, ne?_

_Disclaimer: Kalu is mine but Zatch Bell is not. If i said i owned it i fear i'd be caught._

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A Gift from the Dark

**Chapter 25**

**Say What?**

"Zatch Bell? What's he doing here?" Brago walked up to Sherry and looked through the door as well. And just as his wife had said, there was the King of the Mamodo World himself, standing right there looking around the hallway.

He frowned to himself. What was Zatch doing here in the human world? Didn't he have his own kingdom to look after?

"Let him in," commanded Brago. He took a step back as Sherry nodded and opened the door.

Kalu tilted her head to the side before she noticed the Lightning Mamodo was revealed. "Zatch!" she squealed. "Look, you're here!"

Zatch smiled. "Hi, Kalu. Hi Brago, Sherry." He motioned towards the hybrid's parents but was then tackled in a hug.

"You came!" said Kalu happily. She was still slightly mad that he hadn't visited her when she and Brago went to the Mamodo World to train, but she was too happy to see Zatch to be angry. "I missed you… why weren't you there when Daddy took me to train back in the Mamodo World the other day?" She let go of the other and watched as he chuckled.

"That's why I came here," he responded. "I have some… er… _business_ I need to discuss with your parents." Some eyebrows were raised as Zatch said this; he turned around to face the mamodo and human. "May I come in?"

Brago nodded his head, allowing the king to enter. He waited patiently as he entered and then looked around, commenting that it was a cute little room.

Kalu went to go pet her kitten while her parents began to talk with Zatch. After she found Yuki she walked back in the room that the other three were in and sat down on the floor with the white cat in her lap.

"So, why weren't you there when I took Kalu?" inquired Brago, leaning against a wall as he folded his arms. There was a short silence after the question. Azure eyes met up with crimson and then were led to amber. "Well?"

Staring down at the ground, Zatch Bell merely shook his head. "I was investigating something…it was really important."

"Is that so?" asked Brago dryly. The other nodded his head.

"Yeah… it was really important."

"You said that already."

"Yeah but – it… it was about Zophise!" said the king quickly.

Sherry snapped her head upwards and stared down at the Mamodo King before her, a certain glint in her eyes. She said nothing but let a small scowl cross her features.

"Zophise? What about him?" Brago turned his head to the side, staring down at Zatch. "Tell me now; he broke into our home not very long ago and left a threat message. And that same day Kalu was knocked out unconscious. What do you know of him?"

"I…"

"Brago," Everyone turned their head to see Sherry staring at her husband. "Let him finish. I want to know what he was investigating about that _thing_…"

The dark mamodo grumbled and clenched his fists. Kalu looked up curiously at her father when Zatch continued. "I just discovered that very day that somebody had been sneaking out of the Mamodo World without permission. I know it wasn't you because… well… you have permission! Afterwards I found out that this particular being was…"

"Zophise," hissed Sherry.

Zatch nodded. "Precisely. Somehow or another he's been escaping through the Mamodo World – and I need to find out how. So be warned, he may appear in the human world and–"

"You're a little late for informing us about that," muttered Brago.

"Well, I just had to tell you. I don't know what he's up to, but Zophise has been sneaking in and out of our world multiple times now. The other day wasn't his first trip away from home." Zatch turned to look out the window and sighed. "And the problem is I don't know when he's gonna escape next – nor how he's doing it. I'm searching for the problem but it's not as easy as it looks. Just be very careful now, will you?" He then turned to Sherry, "I would also recommend keeping the Black Book with you at all times now; if you've already been doing that then that's good."

Both Brago and Sherry nodded their heads but were silent. This time it was Kalu who spoke.

"So… isn't this Zophise person that guy who you were talking about before?" questioned the little girl, facing her mother. "The one who took your friend away from you?"

"…"

"Mamma?"

Sherry was silent a little longer when, "Yes… he was." She turned her gaze to her daughter. Oh how Kalu was so oblivious to the fact how bad Zophise was… The mother bent down on her knees and motioned her daughter to come near her. Kalu came up to her and Sherry rested her hand on her shoulder. "Kalu, just remember this," spoke Sherry, "if you ever encounter Zophise – never trust a word he says. He feeds you lies and turns your heart cold so you turn against those most precious to you. That's what he did to my best friend. So don't listen to him, alright?"

The little girl stared at her mother and then nodded. "Al…alright…"

Sherry smiled and then stood back up. Her attention was redirected to Zatch Bell. "So, is this all that you have to say?"

"That's about it!" Zatch said, now in a happy mood. "I thought I'd give you a fair warning about all this going on."

"Hn," Brago rolled his eyes. "Could have figured this out myself if I really thought about it," he mumbled.

"Oh, Zatch," Kalu changed the subject. "I didn't get to show you Yuki! She's my pet kitten – I got her for my birthday. Isn't she cute?" As the six year old said this she held up her pet. The king laughed.

"Yeah, she is! Does she like yellowtail?"

"Uh… I really don't know."

Sherry sighed and glanced at Brago. "This is getting interesting," she mused. The other said nothing.

"Well, I've really gotta get going," started Zatch as he sighed. "There's a whole world I have to look after and it's not an easy job! I'll see you some other time, alright Kalu?"

"OK,"

"See you!" As the Mamodo King turned to leave, he gave a small nod to Brago and Sherry and then left.

"I wonder what is going to happen next," wondered Brago aloud after a minute of Zatch's leaving. He wrapped an arm around his wife's shoulder as he glanced down at their daughter, whom was playing with Yuki once again.

But what was going to happen next they would soon drastically find out.

* * *

_OK, now i get to babble. Who got what for X-mas? I got my black nano iPod that i've been wanting and a pair of fuzzy purple socks. n.n They're very comfortable..._

_I also got to stay up for a whole week up to 1 to 2 in the morning either playing video games or drawing. I even drew this pretty cool picture of Brago and Sherry when i was bored of them sitting on a bench in the park... Eh... the bench is kinda hard to see 'cause i drew 'em up close butI still like it. n.n_

_ANYWAY, yeesh, this story i fear is coming closer to the end.. it's not here quite yet but... still... I am having so much fun writing it! I remember when i first wrote it and was completely clueless as to what i was gonna do with it..._

_Well, HAPPY NEW YEAR, PEEPS! X3_

_Bye byes!_

_Oh, and just 3 more weeks 'til Zeon appears... 9 'til Brago and Sherry show up... and 10 til Koko and IT arrive...Muwahaha...o.O Then i can start the one shot 'Silent Screams'. n.n_


	27. Her Worry, Her Anger, Her Power

_Whoopee i had a lot of fun writing this chapter. And... damn.. it's a long one too! Including the spaces, this chapter was about 7.5 pages long! o.o_

_Buwahaha, it's Friday the 13th! OK, i know the chapter is quite long indeed, so i'm gonna let y'all read it now. I'm sure you're wondering what's gonna happen. n.n_

_Muwahahahahahahaha..._

_Disclaimer: I don't ownZatch Bell. If i did... well.. let's just say i don't and end it there._

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A Gift from the Dark

**Chapter 26**

**Her Worry, Her Anger, Her Power**

Around midnight a week later, the Belmond family was silently asleep in their rooms in the hotel - all except for one.

Kalu couldn't sleep. She tried to roll over and find a comfortable position and doze off but for an odd reason couldn't. With a sigh, she stared up at her ceiling. For a few hours now she had been tossing and turning, trying to get some rest, yet remained awake.

Her hand twitched.

She had an awful feeling growing in her stomach... as if something _really_ bad was about to happen, but she couldn't figure out what.

Grumbling to herself, she sat up in bed and glanced to the floor. Yuki was in her now normal spot near her door in the hotel bedroom. But she found that her teddy bear was lying on the floor. Kalu just assumed she had knocked it off while she was squirming around.

Quietly she hopped out of bed and bent down to pick up her toy. Standing back up with the fluffy bear in her arms, she glanced towards the other room where the door to her parents' room was slightly cracked open.

Her parents were asleep; there was no noise coming from their door so that guess was obvious. Kalu glanced to her messy bed, and then turned her attention to her previous interest.

Slowly she began to walk as quietly as she could out of her room. Yuki's ear twitched and the kitten's eyes opened to watch as the hybrid tip-toed to her parents' room. Closing her eyes, the feline went back to snoozing.

Kalu on the other hand was still feeling quite awake; she was now at the door and she peeked through, darkness greeting her. She pushed the door slightly and a small creaking sound was heard.

Usually a tiny noise like that wouldn't have woken somebody up, but Brago, whom was sleeping that night, heard it and stirred in his sleep. His crimson eyes opened and he sat up, glancing at the doorway. Sherry woke up as well.

"Mm... Brago... what is it?" the woman inquired sleepily. She then too noticed their daughter standing in the doorway, clutching onto her toy bear. "Kalu...? What is it, honey?"

The little girl glanced to the floor sheepishly and tightened her grip on her toy. "I... I can't sleep..." she said quietly. She directed her attention back to her mother and father.

"Is there something wrong?" asked Sherry, now sitting up. She yawned and then glanced over to Brago, who only shrugged. "Do you want to sleep in our bed, Kalu?"

"...I don't know..."

"Come on," said Sherry, patting the side of the bed. Kalu glanced to the floor again as her hand twitched again and looked up.

"...Are you sure?"

"Yes I'm sure."

"Alright..." The hybrid then entered her parents' room and walked across the floor, avoiding Brago's shirt which he had thrown off. The other two watched as their child clambered onto the divan and crawled in the middle of the two parents, still holding onto the teddy bear she so adored.

Kalu layed down and looked at both Brago and Sherry before she murmured out a 'thank you.' Sherry smiled and sunk back under the covers as well, Brago doing the same thing.

"Sweet dreams," said Sherry quietly before she closed her eyes. Kalu smiled and curled up next to her mother. Brago smirked as he watched the scene. He enjoyed watching those two together...

He too then closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

-o-o-o-o-o-

It was now morning. The sun in the other room of shined through the window, the drawn curtains dimming out most of the light. Sherry woke up only to find Kalu cuddled up right next to her father.

She smiled. The hybrid was on her side, her back facing Sherry while her face was in front of the mamodo; the teddy was near the foot of the bed. Brago was on his back, his head slightly turned away from Kalu but his arm was right over her head.

How cute, mused the woman as she silently got up and headed towards the door. After a while she prepared some breakfast for her and Kalu (Brago of course still hated human breakfast foods and preferred to go hunting instead) and headed back into her bedroom to wake up Kalu.

In the room, Brago was already awake. He was sitting on the edge of the bed while Kalu was spread out over the mattress. The demon glanced from Sherry to Kalu and then back to his wife before he said, "She seems to take over the entire bed, doesn't she?"

Sherry only smiled. "Yes, but she's happy and that's what counts most." The woman then walked over to the bedside and slightly shook her daughter's shoulder. "Wake up, Kalu... it's time for school..."

"Wha...?" Kalu opened her purple orbs before she sat up and rubbed one of her eyes. "It's morning already?"

The blonde nodded. "And it's time you get ready for class. Come now." She motioned her daughter to follow and she did.

It took about thirty minutes before everyone had gathered what they needed for the day and to be ready to head out the door. Kalu had her school bag wrapped over her shoulders. She was petting her cat before they all headed out the door, Brago coming along for the ride while Sherry took their daughter to school.

During the entire car ride Kalu was completely silent. She still had that really bad feeling... whatever was going to happen... it would happen very soon...

"Kalu, you're being awfully quiet. Something on your mind?" Sherry's voice snapped the child out of her thoughts and she shook her blue-black head.

"No... nothing really. Just thinking about school."

The woman glanced to the hybrid before turning her attention back on the road. She sighed and soon was driving on the familiar road of the school grounds. As they drove up to the school building, Kalu noticed that Emma wasn't in the line to head into the building.

I guess she's just late, thought Kalu. She noticed that Jacob, Lilly, and Kenny were with their usual group around one of the benches. She ignored them after she said her goodbyes to her parents and then walked up to the line.

"Oh, Kayla, did you hear the news?" asked Kenny as he noticed Kalu walking up to the line.

The hybrid frowned as her hand shook. "My name is KALU! And...what news?"

"Ooh she doesn't know!" said Lilly.

"Too bad then! You'll just have to find out on your own!" said Jacob. They all exchanged glances and then blocked Kalu from their conversation once more, leaving her very confused.

She shrugged and then stood near one of the bushes, patiently waiting for her friend to show up to school. I wonder how late she is, wondered Kalu as she glanced at the school clock. Finally Ms. Wells appeared in the doorway and took a good long look at her class.

"Come now, children, we don't have all day," she said finally. "Now come along, let's get to class."

The group of students headed towards the teacher and entered their designated classroom. Kalu was the last one in line, but she noticed a peculiar look on her teacher's face.

When Ms. Wells noticed Kalu staring she merely smiled oddly. "Come on, Kalu dear, go inside."

She nodded and walked to her seat right after setting her book bag on the floor next to the table. The small chair slid back a little as she plopped into the seat and stared ahead.

The teacher wrote a few things on the chalk board before turning to face the class. "Good morning everyone, I hope you had a good rest last night..."

Kalu slowly began to tune the teacher out as she talked about a few things that they would be doing that day, such as math, a little history, and a spelling quiz. The girl was too busy wondering why her best friend wasn't in class. Then she heard her teacher talk about something... peculiar...

"And one last note," said Ms. Wells, "I wish I was not the bearer of bad news, but it is quite unfortunate that we have had a tragedy in this class. Miss Emma Ortega will not join us any longer. It is a sad thing but she has passed away."

_She was dead._

Kalu stared, wide-eyed. She dropped a pencil that she had in her hand and it fell and bounced to the floor. The hybrid's mouth was agape and she was slightly shaking her head.

Her hand twitched.

"...I received the news earlier this morning," continued the teacher, brushing some of her hair out of her eyes. "It appears that Miss Emma died last night in a car wreck with her father..."

"...Emma's dead..." whispered Kalu. A tear formed under her eye and trickled down her cheek. She wiped the salty liquid away with her sleeve.

"...Now let us have a silent moment as we remember the student who was once here with us..."

She was DEAD!

-o-o-o-o-o-

After what seemed like a horrendously long time in the classroom, recess soon arrived and the children poured out of the building like water into a glass. All of them were cheering for the end of class, all but Kalu.

She had been holding back her tears through class, trying her best to concentrate. But the news that her best friend was killed was too much for her... As soon as she walked through the door the waterworks started.

The hybrid dashed over to the spot on the playground near the fence by the woods where she and Emma always hung out. Tears were splashing down her cheeks as she buried her face into her hands and continued to weep.

Emma was gone! Gone forever! She. Was. DEAD!

It was also unfortunate that Lilly, Jacob, and Kenny happened to spot Kalu. The trio grinned mischievously and walked over to their upset classmate.

"Aw... looks like the baby is crying," said Lilly as she smirked. She twirled some of her brown hair with her fingers. "Too bad."

Kalu looked up at the brunette with pure hate in her eyes. She said nothing, but her hand twitched.

"Oh look, she's mad." Jacob laughed and pointed at her.

"What's wrong, Kayla?" teased Kenny as he put his hands on his knees, bending down to look at the girl.

_"...Shut... up..."_ hissed Kalu, her glare intensifying.

"Ooh! Kalu said the S word! Kalu said the S word!" Kenny said, eyes widening as he gasped. "I'm gonna tell the teacher!"

"Get a grip," said Lilly, "Shut up isn't a bad word!" Her attention was directed to Kalu and she smirked. "But I guess we could tell the teacher... she wouldn't know the difference from the real S word..." The twins grinned impishly and gave 'oohs' and 'ahs' at her remark.

_"I said to SHUT UP!"_ Kalu closed her eyes as her anger continued to rise.

"Hey... her voice sounded kind of weird..." said Jacob, now looking at Kalu. He turned his attention to his brother. "Did you hear that?"

_"JUST SHUT UP!"_ shrieked Kalu. Everyone stared at her, even the other children on the other side of the playground. The teacher had gone inside for something so she didn't quite hear the commotion going on outside.

The others gave a small look of fear when Kalu said that, but they quickly regained their composure and grinned. "I think somebody's mad," said Kenny.

Kalu's eyes contracted so they were now about the size of her father's. She clutched her fists together tightly and took a step forward to the twin. _"You be quiet or else..."_

"Or else what?" He smirked. "Are you gonna cry because of your friend?"

That did it.

Before anyone could react, Kalu shrieked and jumped forward, knocking Kenny down as she punched him with all her might. He cried as her fist took impact on his face. Lilly and Jacob took a quick step backwards, staring in horror.

"_YOU STUPID, WORTHLESS THING YOU!"_ yelled the hybrid, taking small pauses to strike the boy in the face. _"DON'T YOU DARE INSULT MY FRIEND OR ME LIKE THAT!"_

"KALU, CUT IT OUT!" cried Lilly, staring in horror at the scene in front of her. "YOU'LL KILL HIM IF YOU DO THAT!"

"YEAH!" agreed Jacob.

Lifting her head up slowly to face the others, Kalu growled, her teeth almost like fangs now. _"Will I?"_ She stood up off of the boy who had a major nose bleed, and turned her attention to the other two.

At this moment, the teacher walked out of the building with a few sheets of paper. She glanced across the playground and noticed that everyone was staring in the same direction, all with appalled looks on their faces.

Ms. Wells looked to the side as well, and, dropping the papers as she took sight of Kalu, let an appalled shriek. "KALU! What are you doing?" she yelled, now running over to where Kenny lay.

She reached the boy, who was now crying, and took him in her arms. She glanced to Kalu who was standing with her head bowed, her blue-black hair covering her eyes.

Frowning, the woman turned to look at Kalu. "Young lady! Apologize right now!"

_"I will not say sorry. I had full meaning of what I did."_ Kalu glanced at the boy who was shaking as he stared at her. The teacher was dumbstruck._He deserved it."_

"Young lady, you will be sent home right away for striking a fellow student!" said the teacher, now standing up with Kenny in her arms. "You will be suspended from school!"

"_Shut up!"_ Kalu glared. She directed her attention back to the other two who were too afraid to move an inch. The hybrid suddenly shrieked and fell to the ground, clutching her head. Everyone else merely stared. _"No... what is happening...? No... AUGH!"_

A purple aura began to form around the child. She began to breathe a little harder and faster as energy began to gather inside her. Her right hand was now twitching very hard now, the girl could feel a huge amount of energy gathering there.

And suddenly, without warning, Kalu opened her eyes and stood up quickly, her left hand grasping onto her right. _"What's... going... on...?"_ Her purple orbs were wide with terror as she saw the gravity force collecting up in her palm. _"STOP IT!"_ shrieked Kalu, now afraid of what she was about to do.

Before she could do anything however, the energy shot out.

The force of gravity was emitted from her hand and was directed out towards Kenny, who took full impact. Ms. Wells ended up dropping him as the strength of the spell pushed her back. Kenny screamed in pain.

_"What is this?"_ cried Kalu. The energy swept past the boy and the teacher and strait into the forest by the school. Looking ahead, Kalu could see that it traveled on for at least a mile.

She screamed as a sudden pain shot through her head. The children around her were running into the school building, shouting in terror. Jacob and Lilly scurried along to join their classmates while the teacher and Kenny were stuck where they were.

Finally... the whole thing stopped. The gravity power stopped and Kalu dropped to the ground, panting. She grasped her head as the pain continued to wrack through her body.

When she looked up and saw what she did, her eyes widened in even more terror. Her eyes dilated and she gasped. Kenny was now unconscious and so was the teacher.

Standing up, Kalu looked around. In the school building, little heads could be seen peeking through the window. When Kalu met their gaze they all hid from her sight. The girl stared at her hands, which were shaking uncontrollably.

"What have I done...?"

Tears beginning to fall down her face once more, Kalu dashed away from the scene as fast as she could. She didn't care where she was going... She just wanted out of there. Fast.

Into the woods she went. For a while she followed the path that she made with the new spell and eventually turned into the woods, still crying.

I am such a bad thing, cried Kalu in her thoughts. Mamma and Daddy will be so upset!

And then suddenly... she was pulled behinda bush. Kalu squeaked but then her mouth was covered with an icy cold hand that was as white as snow. Her eyes widened in horror when she looked up to see evil eyes staring down at her.

"I've got you now..."


	28. Entangled Emotion

_Hi people... sorry i haven't been updating much but you see i have been discovering the wonderous joys of Microsoft Movie Maker and am now tracked out! Whoopee! No school for about 3 weeks! n.n And... right now i'm on my mother's laptop yet again... (sigh)_

_OK... uh... sorry if this chapter isn't that good, but i didn't have too much time to write and work on it, so... yeah... I tried to do my best. Plus more (you'll see what i mean when you read this chappy) will be explained later on in the next chapter. I couldn't have everythingsaid and donein this one. n.n  
Anyway... uh... have fun reading!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Zatch Bell. However, Kalu is my character and mine only. MINE I TELL YOU, MINE!_

_A/N: I am very happy that Zeon has finally appeared. n.n_

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A Gift from the Dark

**Chapter 27**

**Entangled Emotion**

Kalu's eyes widened in horror after an icy cold hand as white as snow covered her mouth. She looked up only to be met with the intensifying glare of two evil eyes.

"I've got you now..."

The voice was as chilling as the hand. The hybrid squirmed to get free but only caused the grip around her to tighten. An evil chuckle filled the air and sent chills down the girl's spine.

Zophise looked down at the girl and grinned mischievously. "Now, now, my dear child, whatever are you afraid of?" His wicked smile then turned into a frown. "I say, it's rather hard to believe that you're the daughter of those two. You're so... pathetic... then again, so are they." He chuckled again but then let out an ear piercing screech.

He hissed and took a step back, clutching his right hand. Kalu jumped away a few feet and stared up at the mamodo. There was a trickle of blood coming from Zophise's hand and a few marks where Kalu had bit him was seen.

"Insolent little..." Zophise glared and released his hand and set it down to his side. "You really have no manners do you?"

"Who are you?" asked Kalu, taking another step back. Her purple orbs kept a sharp focus on the demon before her. "And why are you after me?"

Another laugh pierced the silent air around them and Zophise shook his head with a grin. "So ignorant, too... Didn't your mommy and daddy tell you about me?" he sneered.

Kalu's hand twitched once more and her pupils contracted. "_Don't insult my parents!"_ she hissed. Realizing what she was doing, Kalu stopped as her eyes widened as she looked at her hands in fear. "What is wrong with me...?" Her voice was panicky, and her question was answered.

"My dear child, it's a permanent spell, you can't remove it," said Zophise as he put his hands behind his back and began walking around the girl. "I inserted another personality inside your mind so that way you could complete my plan for me. It's simple, really, during the last Battle for King many other mamodo were given these personalities to help them become more aggressive and compete in battle. Anyone can have one, and now I have given you one as well."

Zophise stopped walking and turned to face the child who was staring at the ground, her eyes wide. "Another personality...?" she whispered.

The other chortled. "Yes, that's right. The last time we met I gave you one of these personalities... I discovered how to do so and since I do not need a spell book to create one, I could easily come to the human world and force it upon you _and_ erase your memory of the entire event."

Gasping, Kalu looked up to Zophise whom was now laughing. She backed away from him, shaking her head. "No... no that can't be!"

"Oh, but it's true my dear. Your other personality is triggered by emotion, unlike many others which were activated by their spells," said Zophise. He kneeled down to face the girl in the eye when he continued. "Since you are a hybrid and therefore do not need a spell book, it was the simplest thing in the world. You see, I've been watching you for quite a while now as I planned to get revenge on your parents. The two who defeated me in the last battle... those bastards...

"Your wretched mother, and your horrid father, they defeated _me_! How could they defeat _me_?" Zophise stood up and began to talk to himself all the while Kalu listened closely, her anger continuing to rise. "Koko didn't do well enough. Even under my control she still couldn't defeat her former friend! I was supposed to be the most powerful-- I was supposed to become King--!"

"_YOU SHUT UP!" _said Kalu angrily as she suddenly punched Zophise, who staggered a little bit by surprise. The hybrid stood there, her fangs bared, and her fists clutched tightly together. There was a bright fiery in her eyes as she spoke. "_My friend Zatch Bell was supposed to be the winner of the Battle for King--not you! And if it wasn't going to be him, it would be my father. So shut your trap! You don't know anything about what was supposed to happen!"_

Rolling his eyes, Zophise snorted and slapped the girl on the face who immediately was knocked over and fell down onto the ground shaking. "You stupid little creature you... I believe that you are the one who doesn't know anything. There was more to the battle than just fighting and burning books. That you will learn on your own, my dear, but I will tell you this: I should have one! I would have one, but things did not go as planned. Your parents ruined _everything_!"

"_STOP TALKING ABOUT MY PARENTS!"_ shrieked Kalu. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she looked up with angry eyes. "_My parents are stronger than you--end of your stupid story! And when they come and find me you'll be--AUGH!"_

She was cut off when Zophise kicked the girl in the face. Once again she was knocked to the ground as more tears splashed down her face. The mamodo growled. "Hmm, the only bad thing about your personality is that it's too connected to your original one. It stands up for those you care about. Hell, it even cares about your little friend _Emma..."_

Kalu's eyes widened with shock when she heard her friend's name. She looked up with her mouth agape.

"What do you know about my friend...?"

-o-o-o-o-o-

A black limo stopped in front of a school building, a door opened revealing Sherry and Brago in the back car seat and a hired driver in the front. The two parents stepped out of the vehicle and stared at the sight.

There were police cars everywhere and a few ambulance cars too stopped in front of the school building. Police officers were standing around in various places talking to another about different things while some were escorting children to their parents.

Two particular people were talking to the teacher, Ms. Wells, who had many cuts and a few bruises everywhere. They were standing by one of the ambulance vehicles. An unconscious boy with a large black eye was being carried to that car and was being examined for injuries.

Sherry and Brago exchanged glances, both wide eyed. "What do you think happened, Brago?" inquired Sherry.

Her husband was silent for a second, but when he glanced across the school grounds he sighed. "Kalu..."

The woman's eyes widened. "Oh, Kami..." She turned back to the limo and picked up the Black Book which was lying on the cushioned seat in the back. She faced her husband, holding the book to her side, and nodded before they both walked over to the scene.

They headed over to where the teacher was talking. Apparently she was describing what had previously happened while one person was jotting down what she said on paper, the other one was nodding to her points and asking various questions.

"She had this strange aura about her, officer; it was pure evil I tell you! She struck a fellow student too and knocked us both out with some strange dark power of hers," said the teacher quickly, trying to recall what happened. "And she was one of my best students, too... And..." Ms. Wells stopped when she noticed Sherry and Brago standing before them.

"Good afternoon, ma'am, officers, but we would like to know what has happened?" said Sherry politely. Brago said nothing but folded his arms, letting his wife do the talking.

Staring, the teacher's mouth twitched as if she were about to say something, but ended up saying silent. The officers beside her noticed this action and looked from her to the dark team beside them.

Finally, the teacher raised one of her fingers before saying, "You... you two are Kalu's parents... correct?"

Sherry paused, curious as to what might happen when she affirmed that question. She glanced to Brago before turning back around. "Yes..."

As soon as the blonde answered, the teacher looked at one of the officers who nodded and turned to face the two parents. "Excuse me, but it has been declared that your daughter has caused this mess here at the school with..." he glanced at the notepad in his hands, "some... some sort of 'magical powers'. There is no reasonable explanation for this, but there's no way a child could create this jumble. We're going to need to ask you some questions..."

Brago's eye twitched as soon as the man said that. "Are you saying that Kalu is no longer here?" he asked, staring at the man hardly.

He stopped, feeling slightly uneasy from the one in front of him, but then he continued. "Sir, we're going to have to ask you some questions. Has your daughter been acting odd lately?"

"Sherry, let's go," said Brago, turning his back to the man. "We need to go find Kalu." He started to walk, but the police officer halted him and Sherry from going anywhere.

"Stop! You are not permitted to go anywhere at the present moment!" said the man, walking up to Brago. The mamodo slightly looked over his shoulder before growling.

"Back off, human..." snarled Brago, pushing the officer's hand away from him. "We have to go find our daughter."

"I said to stop!" yelled the man. Before the demon could yell back at him Sherry interfered.

"Officer, perhaps we can answer these questions at another time?" asked Sherry, stepping beside Brago. "Right now our daughter is missing and I believe that it's important that we find her."

The officer paused as he stared at the woman. "Err... alright," he finally said. "But afterwards you must answer questions. We will be waiting."

Sherry nodded her head in agreement. "Alright."

"Sherry...?" Brago turned to face his wife.

"Don't worry, Brago, I know what I'm doing. Now let's go," Both Brago and Sherry then turned away and headed off into the forest, the mamodo commenting on how he sensed something there. As they left, they left a few bewildered people behind.

"What do you think that was about?" inquired one of the officers to the other. He merely shrugged.

"I don't know... But what's going on is pretty insane," one said.

"Yeah, you're telling me."

"Are you two just going to let them leave?" inquired the teacher. "That child is dangerous... And you're just letting them leave?"

The officer with the notepad shrugged. "Well, if she is dangerous, it's a lot worse if she's missing. We would rather her be found and know where she is located before we do anything else."

"..."Sighing, the teacher looked back to where Brago and Sherry walked off but said nothing more.

-o-o-o-o-o-

The two of them were walking into the forest behind the school that Kalu went to. Brago was positive that the girl had run off there--he could sense her somewhere through the trees. And one other... Could it be...?

"Brago?" Sherry finally spoke after some time of silence. "Do you... do you think Kalu is alright?" she asked. The woman stopped walking and stared at the ground with the Black Book wrapped in her arms.

Stopping as well, Brago sighed and turned his gaze to the blonde. "I am positive she is," he said. "After all, she's _our_ daughter."

A tiny spark of hope rose inside of Sherry, but the doubts were still strong. Kalu had no idea what Zophise could do… Even though she had mamodo blood, she was still just a child. Her child, their child...

"Come one, Sherry," urged the demon as the other's head rose to look up to him. "We need to get moving."

With a nod of her head, Sherry agreed. "Right, let's go." They both headed farther into the forest, stopping every so often to call out their daughter's name, but there was no response.

Finally after a while, the two stopped and froze. Kalu was standing right in front of them, a somewhat saddened look in her eyes. They even almost looked... hollow...

"Kalu!" cried Sherry as she took sight on the hybrid. "Thank goodness you're--" She suddenly stopped as her eyes widened. Zophise walked out from the trees around them and gave her a sadistic smirk.

"Well, well, well... if it isn't the two who defeated me in the quarrel for king..." A series of chuckles followed.

"Zophise! What the hell are you doing here?" snapped Brago, ruby orbs disappearing. He clenched his fists as he watched Zophise walk a little nearer to their daughter. "Get away from her!" he snarled, jumping forward.

With another laugh, Zophise touched Kalu's shoulder and they both disappeared, only to be transported right behind Sherry. Twirling around, the woman gasped and made a reach for her daughter, but the mamodo took a step back, pulling Kalu with him.

"Now, now, now... Let's not be hasty." The mamodo grinned.

"You... what are you... what are you doing!" cried Sherry, turning the book as to be ready to open it when needed.

The dark mamodo cursed under his breath before stepping up beside his wife. He kept his angry gaze fixed upon his rival and daughter. Zophise began to chuckle once more as he traced the lines of Kalu's chin with pleasure, angering the two parents evermore.

"Well... let's say I'm here for revenge, shall we?" inquired the demon. "I couldn't stand the thought that the two that defeated me in the Battle for King were living peacefully together side by side..." He shook his head. "No. But one day I was bored... I snuck into the King's castle to figure out how to teleport into the human world without anybody knowing. As soon as I did I got here as soon as I could. But... what I found wasn't what I expected..."

Brago glared. "Well? What did you find?" he hissed.

"Heh, heh, heh... I discovered that one of the most powerful mamodo alive had offspring... with a human!" At this comment Zophise was sent into a laughing fit. Brago and Sherry glared but glanced at their daughter whom hadn't moved an inch nor spoken one word.

"What's so funny about that, eh?" questioned Sherry angrily. "I don't think that the fact a demon crossing with a human is funny... And why aren't you laughing about yourself, huh? _You_ abused my best friend!"

"But I never intended to become a father... that's just pathetic." Zophise grabbed Kalu's chin suddenly and directed her head to face her parents. "After a while I discovered I could get my revenge on you through her! The one and only thing that was more precious to you than each other was your own daughter. Pitiful, it really is pitiful. So now that I've inserted another personality into her mind and altered it to my own liking even more, I believe I can have some fun now."

"Get away from her, you freak!" hissed Brago angrily as he clenched his fists even tighter than before. "She doesn't deserve to come in contact with the likes of you!"

The other shook his head. "Now Brago, no need to get angry... I don't have time for this. My plan must be put into action." As he said this, Zophise stood up, removed his hand from Kalu's chin and placed it on her shoulder. "If you want to know more and see your daughter again, you will meet in the Mamodo World tomorrow at eight a.m. Be there, or she dies... Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!"

"Kalu!" screamed Sherry as she opened the Black Book. "_Reis!"_ she screeched, but it was too late, Zophise had already vanished with their daughter, the laughing still echoing behind. "NO!" the woman shrieked.

"Damn it!" Brago punched a nearby tree as hard as he could, which sent it falling down to the ground with a loud crash. He turned around to see Sherry on the ground crying her eyes out about their now captive daughter.

The mamodo sighed, still listening to his wife's anguished cries. He looked up to the sky, thinking. "Eight o'clock in the Mamodo World it is then."


	29. Relapsing

_Hmm... I didn't anticipate this chapter being so short... but oh well. I just happened to quit typing one night 'cause i had to stop and i came back to it realizing that it was at a good stopping point.. plus i lost the pep to actually continue working on the chapter plus couldn't think of anything else i could throw in here... So now y'all have this._

_Anyway, uh... I might be able to get Konjiki no Gash Bell sometime hopefully soon! n.n I'm very happy indeed! (does a little dance) But i'm not sure yet... I'll find out soon though! (still very happy and continues dance)_

_Oh yeah, and the chapter's kinda angsty just ta warn ya. At least... towards the end it gets more that way. Uh... sorry for it being so short. n.n' Next chapter will be longer, i promise._

_Disclaimer: OK... i don't own Zatch Bell... but Kalu's mine. MINE I TELL YOU! SHE NO BELONG TO NOBODY ELSE!_

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**A Gift from the Dark**

**Chapter 28 **

**Relapsing **

Kalu stared at the ground with blank eyes. She had been taken to the Mamodo World right after she and Zophise left her parents. Tears rolled down her cheeks yet she didn't bother to wipe them away. It was unknown to her how long she had been transfixed like this...

Ever since she had the little... _talk_ with the other demon, she felt different. She even saw things differently. Most importantly... she _was_ different.

_"What do you know about my friend...?" Kalu looked up at the mamodo before her with wide eyes. She had not anticipated the fact that Zophise knew about Emma. How did he know about her anyway? _

_"My dear child, you haven't figured it out yet?" inquired Zophise as he looked down at her with dark eyes. "She didn't get in a mere accident with her father... I'm the one who convinced him with my powers to drive drunk that night. Then I made sure that they got in a wreck no matter what. I knew that when you discovered the truth the next day there would be no doubt that your new personality would be fully unleashed. Heh, heh, heh..." _

_Kalu's eyes widened. "You... You killed my friend..." Her voice was but a mere whisper. "No... no... NO! THAT CAN'T BE! HOW COULD YOU?" _

_"Quiet, you," The demon slapped the girl back to the ground right after she jumped up. She fell down with a thud as more tears leaked from her eyes. The girl stared up at Zophise with a hurt look on her face. "Now that you know about that little information, I think it's time we take a look at that new persona of yours..." Zophise stared down at her with an evil smirk. _

_"What-what are you--?" Kalu's eyes dilated as the other reached his hand out to her. "NO, STOP IT!" _

_"Hold still..." _

_"STOOOP!" _

What happened next scared Kalu greatly; Zophise had entered her mind and began to painfully alter her thoughts and personality. It was a painful experience for the girl... She hated to think about it, yet that was one of the only things her now blank mind would think of.

Currently she was sitting on a rock, her arms and legs tied with strong ropes that she couldn't break. Yet... she couldn't find the energy to break them. Zophise had taken all the strength that was left in her and disposed of it, leaving her weaker than ever.

Emotionless and weak... Tormented with the sadness that was contained within her... She was once again crying from the heart.

"Only fifteen more hours to go..." said Zophise out loud. He glanced down at the girl who still hadn't moved nor spoken a word. "Fifteen more hours to go, my dear. If your parents fail to be here by 8 then say goodbye to your life." A devilish smirk crossed his lips when he didn't receive a reply. That was expected for him, of course.

Kalu stared at the ground still, tears falling down her cheeks. She didn't even have the strength to talk anymore... She closed her cloudy eyes as she continued to silently cry to herself.

_Mamma... _

_Daddy... _

_Please... help me... _

-o-o-o-o-o-

Sherry was walking back and forth in one of the rooms in the hotel, continuously eyeing the clock. It was a little past five o'clock. She was too anxious to do anything else for that day... She was neither hungry nor tired. All that was wanted was her precious daughter...

Brago's book was lying on one of the tables in the room; Sherry had set it there when they got home, right after she cried her eyes out a little longer. Her eyes were red and slightly puffy from weeping so much that day. Ever since they got back to the mansion she felt restless... she had to do something…

"Sherry, walking back and forth won't do you any good."

The blonde turned around only to be met by her husband's ruby gaze. With another troubled sigh she nodded her head.

"I know, Brago... But what else am I to do? Kalu is up in the Mamodo World with that freak and we can't go there until eight tomorrow morning!" she exclaimed. Once more she began to walk back and forth around the room, Brago watched without interest as she continued to pace back and forth.

She stopped after a minute however when her gaze landed upon a fair sized picture frame with a photo inside. Gently, the woman picked it up and stared at the image before her.

It showed a picture of when Kalu was about four years old sitting on Brago's lap. The younger child had a wide smile on her face and was reaching out to where the camera was. She had been wearing a blue dress that almost matched the azure highlights in her hair... Brago was looking down at Kalu and was holding onto the girl with a smirk spread across his face. The background showed lush green grass and trees with a sandy playground some ways off... they were at the park that day.

Sherry had taken that photo... She remembered it all quite vividly as if it were only yesterday. It was one of those irresistible moments where she couldn't help but take a picture. As a matter of fact, it was one of her most favorite pictures she had ever taken of her daughter.

Tears streamed down the woman's face as she set the picture back down. She made to wipe them away with her hand but she couldn't stop crying. Her head suddenly jerked up when she felt Brago rest his hand on her shoulder.

"Brago..." Looking up at the mamodo with watery eyes, Sherry suddenly latched herself onto Brago as she began to sob even louder than before, tears pouring down her face.

"Sherry, it's alright, we'll get Kalu back..." The mamodo returned the embrace as he stared silently at the ground. "We're going to get her... Zophise will pay for what he's done."

"But Brago... what if... what if she does die? I... I can't stand the thought!" murmured Sherry as she shook her head. "She's our daughter for crying out loud!" Her grip around the mamodo tightened as she let out her frustrations. "Kalu doesn't deserve this!"

"I know, Sherry... I know..." Brago glanced to the picture of him and Kalu before he made his wife stand up strait and look him in the eye. "We're going to get her back alive no matter what it takes. I promise."

Sherry's lip trembled a little before she managed a weak smile. "R-right..." she stammered. "I know that... It's just..." Her eyes averted to the ground before she sighed once more. "I'm worried about her, Brago..."

"I know. I am too." The mamodo sighed and shook his head. "But worrying won't do us any good. As for now, we should train for tomorrow. Who knows what Zophise will throw at us?"

Once again, the blonde nodded her head before receiving a kiss from Brago. She sighed and turned to pick up the Black Book. When she faced her husband one more time, her eyes were serious and she had stopped crying.

"Right. We'll do this together... for Kalu."


	30. Separation and the Beginning Fight

_(squeals) Last night when Zatch Bell was on, there were some never-before-seen glimpses of Brago and Sherry when Toonami was switching from commercials to the show! (squeals again) I'm so happy! n.n And THEN there's the fact that they appear in ABOUT TWO EPISODES! WH00T! We've all been waiting 2 months for them to appear! n.n This also means that as soon as ep. 48 airs i can start working on Silent Screams..._

_And then on YouTube there's another AMV with them, too... n.n_

_Anyway... Here's an update!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Zatch Bell but i'm too happy to really care right now 'causeof multiple reasons why... or maybe i'm just on a sugar rush... Demo, Kalu is mine, everyone!_

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A Gift from the Dark

**Chapter 29**

**Separation and the Beginning Fight**

They had been training for a few hours until they felt sore. Brago knew that in order to take down Zophise--for the second time--they would need this preparation. It was mostly because of the two facts that the demon had grown in power over these years while Brago became softer. Indeed it would be a tough battle.

It was the next morning already and the two still had some time left before they headed up to the Mamodo World to rescue Kalu. Brago had been meditating all that night while Sherry received a good earned rest from the previous training. She too needed this work out... She hadn't trained with Brago as so since the last fight for Mamodo King. Oh, how that brought back memories...

Currently however, the two were sitting in the dining room having a discussion about the day's plan. Sherry was more anxious than ever and she wanted more than anything to have her daughter back. She had sworn that she would always be there for Kalu, yet what could she do now? The one thing that she told herself when Kalu was born was that she would always be the loving mother for the child... something that Sherry never had. Just because Sherry was abused didn't mean Kalu would be.

The woman sighed and ran her fingers through her golden hair as she rested her elbows against the edge of the table. So many thoughts were racing through her mind at the moment... what if Kalu died? What if she was already dead? She didn't trust Zophise at all... so there was always the possibility that he had already slain her daughter.

Her stomach twirled at the thought.

No, no, he wouldn't do that... or would he? There were no promises here, just words. One didn't always have to keep their word... or they could just lie. Was Zophise lying? Would he just kill Kalu anyway and have it all done? What was going to happen next?

"Sherry... you should really eat something."

The woman snapped out of her thoughts as her husband's deep, raspy voice sliced the silence in the room. He was staring at her with a look of concern when he said that. It was true, though, with all the anxiety going around, Sherry had lost her appetite for a short period of time.

"I'm not hungry," said the woman, leaning back in her chair. She glanced at Brago before continuing. "I can't eat anything... I'm too worried about Kalu."

"That is still no excuse." His glare was sharp, a look Sherry also hadn't seen since the Battle for Mamodo King… "Now eat. If you don't, you won't have any energy and will fail in battle. We can't afford that, Sherry."

Great, now he's acting a little like he was when we met, except with a slight difference, mused Sherry as she stared at her husband. His heart is warmed this time... He has concern for others. He knows what compassion is now.

"I'm sorry, Brago," responded Sherry as she rubbed her eyes. "I'll... I'll try and eat something. Some toast might be good..."

The mamodo said nothing but nodded in agreement as the woman stood up and headed into the other room. He sighed to himself and looked up to the ceiling, fantasizing about how much he would kick the crap out of Zophise. Kalu would be alright and Zophise...well, he'd either be dead or just seriously hurt. Brago liked the idea of Zophise dying much better though...

The demon clenched his fist when he thought more about how the other had taken hostage of his daughter. A growl escaped his lips and he continued to muse to himself. _Anyone_ who hurt or gave any sort of threat to Kalu would pay dearly...

A minute later Sherry emerged from the other room with a plate with toast and a glass of milk. She sighed as she slowly began to nibble at the slightly burnt bread. There was a silence between the two as the blonde steadily ate her breakfast.

After she was done with the first slice of toast the woman took a sip of her milk as a thought penetrated into her mind. She laid down the glass and stared at her husband.

"Brago?" she inquired. He turned his gaze upon her, giving a curious look. "I was just wondering..." continued the blonde, eyes narrowing. "You don't need your book in the Mamodo World, right?"

"No."

"Then... why do you think Zophise wants me to come along too? The only good I can do is cast the spells for you using the Black Book," said Sherry. "In your world it's unnecessary to have it... So what am I to do? I can't match your own strength and tolerance because I'm a human. It's going to be harder for me to fight alongside you if I keep getting hurt from the other's attacks. And back in the Battle for Mamodo King, I could actually _do_ something because of the Black Book... And that's only useful here. But we're not fighting here--we're fighting in your world."

"Hn..." The mamodo pondered about what Sherry just said. She's right, he thought, what is she going to do? Zophise said that we _both_ had to come. He must have something planned... I need to be extremely careful and protect Sherry at all costs...

"Brago?" He turned to look at his wife, her eyes ablaze with concern. He sighed and shook his head before he stood up and rested his hand on her shoulder.

"I don't know, Sherry. That's all I can say." The mamodo glanced over to the clock. It was 7:47. He turned his attention back to the blonde before continuing. "We should really get going now. Are you done eating?"

With a nod of her head, Sherry stood up. "Yes."

"Good. We only have a short amount of time to get to the Mamodo World. We should get a move on..." He was about to walk out the room when Sherry tugged at his arm. He glanced back at her before she asked,

"Should... should I bring the book?"

Brago turned his gaze to the side before he looked back at Sherry. "No... I don't think it'll be necessary."

"Alright... but... what am I to--?"

Brago stopped the woman from speaking as he placed a clawed finger over her mouth. There was a glint in his eyes but he said nothing more about that topic. "Come on, Sherry. Let's go."

Sherry nodded her head and Brago removed his finger. "...Okay. Let's go." Secretly, Sherry was also worried about what would happen when she herself reached her husband's home world. Sure, Kalu had gone with him multiple times, but... Kalu could at least defend herself. Sherry didn't know what to do with all the other demons running around in the location they were to head to. After all, she was just a regular human. What could she do other than read spells--which weren-t even necessary in the Mamodo World?

The blonde followed the demon outside where he glanced at her with more concern in her eyes. He knew exactly what she was thinking... About going to the new world. But there wasn't much he could do... He couldn't help the fact that she was human.

He grabbed her hand before he said, "Hold on, I'm going to use the spell Zatch Bell taught me to use when traveling in-between worlds."

With a nod of her head, Sherry grasped onto her husband's hand tightly before she felt an odd sensation swim through her entire body. She could see her hands fading away... just like a mamodo would when their book was burnt and had to go back to their world in the battle 13 years ago... Soon the woman closed her eyes as her entire body disappeared, alongside with Brago.

They had just left the human world.

-o-o-o-o-o-

When Sherry opened her eyes, she was lying on the ground in the middle of a forest with abnormally tall trees and plants that she had never seen before. Slowly her eyes opened a little more before she realized that she was no longer at home…

She was in the Mamodo World.

Her azure eyes widened before she quickly stood up. "Brago... we're here! I'm actually..." she trailed off when she realized that she was no longer with her husband. "B-Brago...?" She looked around, eyes darting everywhere to look for a sign where the Dark Mamodo could be.

Oh, no, she thought to herself as she took a step backwards. We must have been separated from each other when we were teleported here... But how could that be? She couldn't remember what happened as they arrived here.

A slight tinge of panic rose through her as she realized the bad news this meant. If she wasn't with Brago, then Zophise's orders couldn't be completed.

Kalu would be killed if she weren't with him...

"No... not Kalu," whispered Sherry as she stared at the ground. Anybody but her daughter... Her eyes widened as she slowly started to walk forward, unaware of exactly where she was headed. But it was somewhere, and she had to get moving or the worst would happen.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Brago cursed under his breath as he looked around. "Damn it," he said, "How could we get separated like this? This must be _his_ doings..."

So Brago ran along, now having yet another reason to beat up the mamodo that was causing such grief in his family. He darted through the woods he was in until he came across Kalu, tied up on a rock with a solemn look on her face.

"Kalu!" he shouted, and ran forward. But just as he was about to reach her a flaming shield stopped him. He took a step back, well recognizing that spell. He looked up only to see Zophise hovering some feet above him.

"Well, well, well... if it isn't the mighty Brago?" taunted the mamodo as he slowly drifted closer to the ground, but not by much.

Glancing at his daughter, Brago noticed that she still wasn't doing anything. However, she was looking up at him with a pleading look in her eyes. He could clearly see she was in pain.

"Da...Daddy..." She was barely able to speak, her voice was but a mere whisper, yet she had managed to summon up enough strength just to call out to her father. Tears instantly began rolling down her cheeks again as she said nothing more.

"Kalu..." Brago frowned and then glared up at Zophise. "What have you done to her?" he demanded, bearing his teeth as his crimson orbs disappeared.

Zophise was not paying attention to Brago's words. He sneered as he looked around. "I see that Sherry isn't here... Did I not say that she was supposed to come too?"

The other only clenched his fists in anger. He knew that Zophise knew he knew that he was the one responsible for separating Sherry from him. There was nothing that Brago could do about it, though, and he was pissed.

"What plans do you have of separating me and Sherry?" yelled Brago in frustration.

"It's simple," said Zophise, a large smirk spread across his face. "After I'm done with you I can easily kill her... Or, to make it more fun to torture you, I can have someone do it for me while I fight you. And after I'm done with both of you, it will be most delightful to hear your daughter's cries as I kill her myself." The demon let out a series of cackles as he threw his head back with laughter.

Then Brago snapped. He couldn't take it anymore. He had been restraining himself from attacking Zophise while he slowly gained more information from him, but now he went over the line. _Nobody was going to kill the only two people he cared about..._

He let out a roar as he shot his hand in the air and sent a Reis spell hurtling towards the laughing maniac. Zophise stopped chuckling as he disappeared, avoiding the attack, and ended up floating a few feet from where he was.

"Fool. Do not underestimate me--you may have beaten me once, yes, but I have grown in power!" cried Zophise as he raised his hand, a large energy gathering in his palm. Suddenly he thrusted his fist forward and the energy whip shot out from his hand.

"What the...?" Brago stared, all too well remembering the other's attacks. He knew they were powerful and he was hard to defeat.

But then again... so was he.

The whip crashed down on the ground next to Brago as he dodged the attack, careful to not lead it towards Kalu who was still immobile at the time. She watched in silence with teary eyes as her father began to fight with the evil mamodo.

Brago jumped off the ground and landed in a tree. He turned around and shot out a massive amount of energy from his palm. It was known as the Bidom Gravirei attack... It was useful when an opponent was in mid-air.

Unfortunately for Zophise, he was engulfed in Brago's gravity attack and was forced to the ground as the energy pounded against his body. He landed on the grass with a large thud and Brago jumped from the tree, aiming to land on Zophise and continue the fight.

However, the other saw this coming and quickly rolled out of the way as Brago slammed his hand onto the ground, using a Gravirei attack on his hand to increase his striking power. In result, a small but fair sized crater was formed from the mamodo's attack.

A low chuckle was released from Zophise as he turned to face Brago, whom was now standing up. "Idiot," he murmured with a grin. As a light pink energy began to gather in his hands, a dark purple one began to grow in Brago's. The two were glaring at another, and as both charged forwards, they thrust their hands forwards as their spells shot out.

The battle was on.

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_Yeah... i'm hoping that i can make this battle scene interesting... I do have the next chapter typed up and it has some fighting in itbut i'm not too sure how long i can make the fight without making it boring or just not enough action. I MIGHT bump this up to T if i have to... Does anybody think i should now because of the cursing going on?_

_And i should really draw another pic of Kalu for y'all to see if ya want to... 'cause i draw her slightly differently now and i draw her much better than how i previously did. She looks more like a child and i don't draw her head so big. XD_

_Uh... anyway... read and review!_


	31. Lost

_Disclaimer: I don't own Konjiki no Gash Bell or anything related to it at all whatsoever... I just own Kalu. :3_

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A Gift from the Dark

**Chapter 30**

**Lost**

"Idiot," murmured Zophise with a grin as he watched Brago stand up. Both held out their hands as a purple and light pink energy began to gather in both. They both charged towards another as their spells shot out from their palms.

There was a loud explosion as dust scattered across the area. Kalu could no longer see what was going on but could sense her father and Zophise somewhere amongst the dust…. As it died down she saw them fighting once more. She watched silently as Brago quickly punched Zophise square in the face and then darted forward again as the other jumped back.

Quickly, the evil demon took a step to the side, avoiding Brago's assault, and then thrusted his own curled up fist in the back of his head. The mamodo instantly fell but rolled out of the way as Zophise's foot thrashed down to the ground.

Brago stood up, spat on the ground, and glared as he defended himself from the oncoming Radom attack. He received multiple scratches on his arms as he held them up for defense when the spell reached him, but he ignored the pain and continued glowering.

"You're the one who's been spreading rumors about me and trying to capture Kalu, aren't you!" inquired the Dark Mamodo angrily.

Zophise merely chuckled as he cracked his knuckles. "Why of course, Brago, have you just realized that?"

Brago growled and instantly jumped forward, throwing his balled up fist as hard as he could at Zophise's face. His hand was stopped and the other turned him around, grabbed the other hand, and pulled both arms behind his back. Brago growled as Zophise pushed him to the ground as he stepped on his head.

"Bastard…" muttered Brago as he shot another glare. "Why Bring Kalu into this?"

"I told you, Brago," hissed Zophise as he put more pressure on the mamodo's back, "She was the perfect tool for getting revenge on you and that human. Knowing that your precious daughter was captured, you would be outraged, just as you are now." Zophise smirked as Brago let out a low, angry snarl. "See what I mean?"

"Zophise, you—"

Brago didn't finish his sentence. Zophise thrust the other's head into the ground and then leapt off his back as Brago jumped up once more. He shot him another look before both of his hands rose into the air.

"Nobody ever threatens my family," hissed Brago. Suddenly two energies shot out from Brago's hand, and the spell known as Rior Reis shot out at Zophise who blocked it with a flaming shield. Brago growled as he tried to put more power into the attack, but suddenly it was called off as Zophise sent a Gigano Radom from behind the shield.

"Damn!" hissed Brago as he took impact, the shot fired from Zophise sending him to the ground with more unpleasant curses soon following.

Off to the side, Kalu's eyes widened when she saw her father take the hit. Her mind was screaming out to him, trying to see if he was OK, but all that she managed to speak out was a small gasp that went unheard. She could feel her strength within her disappearing every minute. She kept feeling weaker and weaker… Her mind was going on meltdown.

_That… that guy Daddy is fighting… Why is he beating him? Can't Daddy win? He beat him before! The only one who won against him was Zatch! WHY IS THIS HAPPENING? _Kalu squeezed her eyes shut as she continued to ponder. _Daddy can win… Daddy can win… I know that he'll win!_

Brago stood up, blood trickling down from his forehead and from some other scratches on his body. How did he get so powerful, wondered Brago, did he really get this strong since the last time we fought? Or… have I gotten weaker?

"Fool, you should just die!" shouted Zophise as he raised his hand. Another blue energy whip formed in his palm as he swung it forward. It wrapped around Brago's legs, burning him at the same time as he let out a yell and was brought into the air when Zophise flung him upward. The ground trembled underneath everyone's feet as he took the whip and smashed it on the ground, Brago coming down along with it.

He sputtered out another curse as the process went over again, each time the mamodo landed heavily on the ground he received another cut or two and was thrown back into the air until one time he thrust his hand in a downward motion, sending a Gravirei attack down on Zophise.

This caught him off guard so he let go of the whip, which vanished, and fruitlessly tried to block himself with his arms. However, he was far too late. Gravity began to pound against him, causing him to shriek and be forced to the ground.

Brago landed on his feet with a smirk as he watched the other get pummeled with his attack. This time, though, he didn't wait for Zophise to stand back up. He raised his right arm and placed his left on top of it and then sent out an Ion Gravirei spell hurtling towards the evil demon.

The trees, plants, rocks, and all foliage were destroyed as the pressure around the area increased. There were loud crashes and smashing sounds as everything in Brago's path was destroyed. Kalu opened her eyes just in time to see her father shoot out the attack.

That's the spell I shot out yesterday at Kenny, she though to herself. I… I suppose I've inherited all of Daddy's spells…. Kalu slowly blinked and watched as the fight went on. Her father was now charging at Zophise once more. Her purple orbs wandered to the destroyed section of the woods. I'm like him, she mused. I'm just like Daddy… I can do what he can do… But… Am I more like him than Mamma…?

Kalu closed her eyes as tears splashed down her face. I wish I didn't have these powers… I just want to be normal with a normal life… I'm always getting into trouble with them and I have no friends… Emma is dead… and Zatch is somewhere… She opened her eyes once more as they contracted. Why isn't he here…? Every time Daddy and I come here without telling him he arrives, so why hasn't Zatch shown up yet? I've been here since yesterday!

The hybrid continued to question herself why the King wasn't there as the fight between Brago and Zophise continued. It seemed as though both were having a hard time now trying to defeat each other.

Brago had severe cuts and bruises all over his body. His arms were scratched and he had a large cut on his face with blood trickling down his forehead. Zophise didn't seem to be having as much trouble as Brago, however, but he was still having a tough time defending himself and bringing the fight to an end. Although he remembered everything from his last fight with him back in the Battle for King, Brago was stronger than he remembered.

Crimson eyes narrow, Brago growled and took another deep breath before he charged towards Zophise. He just wanted the battle to end so he could take Kalu home with him and go find Sherry.

Speaking of Sherry…

-o-o-o-o-o-

Out about a mile or two away from where the fight was going on, Sherry was running through the woods of the Mamodo World, trying to find where she was. She could hear some explosions going on but she had no idea where they were coming from. It seemed as though it echoed around the entire area around her without giving a distinct clue as to where its origins were.

She suddenly tripped over a root that she noticed a little too late. The blonde tumbled to the ground and landed face first in the dirt, but managed to have her hands fly out first on sheer instinct.

Slowly lifting her head up, she turned her azure gaze behind her and cursed as she pulled her foot free from the root. "Damn," she muttered. "Stupid root… I'm never going to find them!"

After a few more seconds she managed to untangle her foot from the root's grasp and make sure she didn't twist her ankle. She didn't. Sitting up, Sherry sighed and shook her head. This is hopeless, she thought to herself. There's no way I can find them like this… Brago is off somewhere, probably fighting Zophise, and Kalu is defenseless. Damn it!

Slowly the woman stood up and glanced behind her but only saw that nobody was there. With a sigh, she turned around and was about to walk forward when she stopped in the middle of her tracks, her eyes sharply focused on the sight in front of her. Right ahead of her was a mamodo that looked somewhat like a wolf… It bared its teeth at her as it took a step forward.

Instantly, Sherry recognized this mamodo. It was one that she and Brago had fought during the Battle for Mamodo King… During the fight, she was almost attacked but Brago jumped in the way of it – getting his arm sliced off in the process (Sherry grimaced at this memory). In that period of designated time, she was slowly starting to fall for Brago, but it was a while before he really loved her back… In fact, it was probably sometime after the defeat of Zophise before their very first kiss…

The blonde took a step backwards as she stared wide eyed at the mamodo before her. "Great, now what?" she mused aloud. Suddenly Furigaro inhaled a deep breath before releasing jagged shards of ice which shot out at Sherry.

As quickly as she could the woman jumped out of the way but lost balance and fell on the ground, dodging the assault but barely missing it. A small bit of her dress was ripped as she tumbled to the ground, landing on her back. Again, she cursed and then looked back up at the mamodo which was slowly inching nearer and nearer.

"What do you want?" she asked, slowly starting to stand up. Just great, she mused to herself as she frowned, looking upon the demon before her. I can't fight him now... I need to conserve my strength so I can help out Brago...

Furigaro said nothing but stared at her through his baggy hair before snarling angrily and raising his clawed fists into the air and bringing them down upon the blonde. Her eyes widened.

Avoiding the attack, Sherry jumped out of the way quickly and began to run as fast as she could away from the scene. Furigaro regained his balance and stood up strait before he followed the human but suddenly was knocked over as a burst of lightning shot out from nowhere.

Sherry stopped running and turned around with wide eyes, well recognizing that lightning attack. Could it be that he was here…?

Out from the trees stood the Mamodo King himself, staring hard at Furigaro with his shining amber eyes. "What do you think you're doing?" he shouted, stepping forward. The mamodo didn't say anything but backed up a little as he spotted the Lightning Mamodo. Quickly he ran off into the trees, leaving Zatch shaking his fist at him as he ran ahead. "Yeah, you better run!" he shouted.

A sigh of relief escaped Sherry's lips as she put a hand to her forehead, which had a few beads of sweat forming on her skin. Without Brago there she feared that she would have been killed... Although she herself could put up quite a good fight, she didn't stand a chance against a mamodo by herself that had its full powers and no need of a book. She turned her attention to Zatch, whom was now looking at her with an odd look.

"Hi, Sherry, what are you doing here in the Mamodo World?" inquired the King, tilting his golden head to the side. "Did Brago bring you here?"

Sherry nodded her head, and then rapidly began to inform the King of what was going on. "Yes—we came here because Zophise has captured our daughter, she's here in the Mamodo World!" spoke the woman, "He said that Brago and I both had to come here, but in the process we were separated, and now I think he's fighting him…"

Zatch Bell listened as Sherry continued to explain a little more. He nodded his head, his amber eyes wide and serious all the while. After the woman was done the mamodo spoke, "So, Kalu's here? I kind of figured as much… I was just headed towards the direction where I sensed some others fighting, and then that's when I sensed somebody else here. I knew it wasn't a mamodo so I came and found you being attacked," explained the Mamodo King. He then smiled brightly, completely contrasting against the mood of the situation. "I guess it's a good thing I found you, huh?"

"Yes, but could we please go find my daughter?" asked Sherry worriedly. "I need to find her!"

"Sure!" Zatch said bubbly, but then that appearance vanished and was replaced with a serious look. He motioned Sherry to follow him with his hand and they both began to head in a different direction. "Come on, let's go look for Kalu!"

* * *

_I've decided to be odd todayand put my A/N's down here for a change. n.n Eheheheh..._

_Err... sorry for the long update, everyone! I've been, err... rather..._ busy_, if you will, with a lot of stuff. n.n' Yeah.. gomen._

_Plus this fight scene wasn't the easiest thing in the world to write and i wanted to see if i could get some inspiration to work on the next chapter as well - which i haven't had much luck in (What?You seriously thought that i'd make Zophise get his arse kicked_ this _easily?)_

_Speaking of which, i'm wondering exactly how long i'll end up making this fight... I'm stuck with the next chapter, trying to think of ways to make the fight more interesting without it just being the ol' "hit and run, hit back a few more times and be hit again" thing.  
__I do so hope that this fight wasn't terribly boring... Eh...  
And then i've been editing the idea that i had originally had for around the ending... Realized i thought it was too cheesy so i slightly altered it to make it much, much better and not lame like the old one was (the new one isn't lame, i promise you, i swear!). But now that i have the new idea i'm wondering on some things i should do for the last chapter and the epilogue... OK, i'm thinking to myself as i type. I'll stop rambling now. n.n_

_Well, anyway, leave your comments and be honest! Tell me what'cha think of zis chappy!_

_Oh, n' what did y'all think of episode 47? I think it rocked! But they cut out too much stuff in it. -.-_

_There i go again... ignore me. BYE!_


	32. Compassion: A Weakness or Strength?

_I am sorry for any inconvenience with any OOCness that may appear in this chapter, but this is just how the plans for my plot turned out. I was trying to keep everybody IC -- which is hard to do now that they're slightly different from how they are in the series considering everything that has happened to them in this story. n.n Good and bad... Ex. Brago being kinder 'cause he's a father..._

_I think the fight scene MIGHT last a max. of two chapters more after this... I'm unsure. It will end soon though, i assure you that!_

_Anyway, uh... (slowly backs away) Don't hate me for doing this to Kalu... Things will turn out slightly differently than what you may think at the end of this chapter. o.o I promise!_

_Brago: Twilight... What did you do?_

_Um..._

_Sherry: Yes, please tell us._

_O.O SORRYGOTTARUN! (goes into hiding)_

_Brago and Sherry: TWILIGHT!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own this but i do own Kalu. She's mine, not yours, BUWAHAHAHAHA! o.o' And now people may hate me for putting characters in this story through a lot of pain... MEEP!_

_(Does anybody think this is rated T yet? Read this chapter n' please tell me what you think... Just 'cause of the whole 'violence' issue. n.n Going back into hiding now! BYES!)_

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A Gift from the Dark

**Chapter 31**

**Compassion: A Weakness or Strength?**

The fight continued on for what seemed like forever. Foliage was destroyed, earth was crumbled beneath Brago's gravitational attacks and Zophise's energy blasts, and there was no sign of an ending. And all the while the two powerful demons fought, Kalu could feel herself becoming weaker and weaker every minute...

Standing alone some ways away from his daughter, Brago stood staring up with his pupil-less gaze in the direction of his opponent. He still had the major cut on his forehead and was still slightly bleeding, but as the time went by and he continued to fight against Zophise even more, he received even more injuries all over his arms and other areas. His shirt was slightly torn and his left shoulder was showing. Beads of sweat were seen on his ash-pale skin as he heavily breathed, his shoulders heaving as he gasped for air.

Zophise, on the other hand, was quite injured as well, but not as much. He was hovering in the air with his robe slightly torn on the right sleeve, revealing a nasty gash that Brago had given him when throwing a volley of punches at him that ended with an Oruga Reis spell. His face had a large bruise forming on his forehead but that was slightly covered by his messy orange hair. His hands were scratched from being pulled under Brago's gravitational spells and other attacks. Zophise too was breathing hard, but not as heavily as the dark demon before him.

"Idiot," cursed the demon as he glared down at Brago. "It's time we finish this... You must die!" At this sudden statement that he had said quite a few times now during the fight with Brago, an abrupt blue aura began to form in Zophise's hand and suddenly a whip appeared. He lashed it about and thrusted it forward; it wrapped around the dark mamodo tightly as a sudden explosion occurred from coming in contact with the energy.

Brago growled with frustration as he fell to his knee, glaring up with a crimson gaze towards the enemy. "Damn it," he muttered as he painfully stood back up. I'm not the one who's going to die here, he thought to himself as he raised his right arm. It's going to be _him..._

Before he could take any action though, Zophise sent a couple of Radom spells flying in his direction. Brago smirked as he saw the pink energies flying towards him. This was just what he expected would happen, the other would see him raise his arm as if to attack but would then send his own spells hurtling towards him. The demon had other plans, however, and was not going to attack him _then_, but attack him _now_.

A white streak of energy emitted out of Brago's hand and soon formed a colorful, swirling energy known as the Dioga Gravidon spell. The two Radom attacks merged with this new spell and were nullified as they disappeared; the darker demon's spell now was racing towards Zophise.

"Humph, don't think I'll let this hit me so easily," muttered Zophise as he raised his hand, bringing his shield up to defend himself from the attack. When he noticed the shield was starting to break away, however, Zophise backed up and avoided the massive explosion that was soon created afterwards from the two powers.

Unfortunately for him, however, Brago was right behind him, arm outstretched, ready for action.

Eyes wide, Zophise screamed as the mamodo before him sent another spell hurtling his way. Out of instinct his arms flew to his face, blocking the gravitational attack with his arms. There was a rather small explosion, but instead of Zophise being sent to the ground, it was Brago. The other demon had tricked him into thinking that he was caught in his attack, but at the last moment he threw his own attack his way.

After coming in contact with the other's spell, Brago toppled to the ground but caught himself with his hands. Growling lowly, he stared up at the demon before him, hovering in the air.

"Fool, don't underestimate me," said the demon casually. "You're compassion is making you weak... Hell, when you had none back when we first fought, you were _at_ _least_ stronger then. Now you're just a waste of time-- a bug that insists to not be squashed!"

Brago gritted his teeth tightly together as he stood up, glaring death at Zophise. His menacing stare did not to affect the demon so as he wished it would, but instead caused him to start laughing.

"And what's so funny, Zophise?" inquired Brago stiffly. "Trying to die of laughter?" He clenched his teeth together even tighter when the other continued to chuckle.

Tightening his hand into a fist, Zophise mused to himself aloud. "Don't you see? Now that you have emotion you've become weaker, Brago. You don't put up as much of a fight... You're holding back, aren't you? You're holding back because your daughter is right there in front of you," At this, he pointed with a snow white finger over in Kalu's direction. The girl was still staring blankly and helplessly at the entire scene. "You don't wish to hurt her anymore than she already is."

This was somewhat true, thought Brago as he glanced in his daughter's direction. Something was holding him back from actually _killing_ the demon before him. Before, he would have done it without a second thought... Was it really compassion? Were Zophise's words actually true? He didn't want to kill him because...

Shaking his head lightly, Brago brushed away the thought. No, no, he couldn't kill him now because he wasn't trying hard enough. He beat him once, he could beat him again!

"Shut up, you bastard!" shouted Brago angrily as he jumped up, ran up onto a tree and tackled Zophise in mid air. They were both sent to the ground with a violent thud and unpleasant cracking sound as the demon before the darker one landed on his back as he was pushed down. "You don't know what or how I feel!" said the demon bitterly as he thrashed the other in the face.

Kalu's eyes widened. For however long this fight had been, she had never seen her father act so vindictive. And I thought that he scared me the one night after I lost control, she thought to herself. This is... worse... than that... Why?

The hybrid child's eyes widened even more when she saw her father take a hit, a trickle of blood flew through the air immediately afterwards. A sickening feeling rose in her stomach that felt as if she swallowed a few blocks of ice whole in one gulp.

That was it. She couldn't take it anymore. With all the strength she had left within her, the little girl sucked in as much air as she could, and almost in vain, cried out "_Daddy!"_

At this, Brago jerked his head to the side after hearing the little girl's weak voice call to him. "Kalu?" He stared, seeing his daughter in the predicament she was in, but suddenly was pushed over as Zophise kicked him in the face to get his grip off of him and then floated back into the air.

"Thank you, Kalu, for distracting him for me," said the demon smugly as he rose even higher into the air. "I'm very grateful. It was rather hard to get him to let go of me by myself..."

With a cry, the girl fell over onto the ground face first into the ground. She continued to weep as she felt most of the strength within her leave right after calling out to her father.

Standing up, the dark demon stared in the direction of his daughter. For a quick second, he forgot all about Zophise and the fight he was in. The only thing that was on his mind at the moment was his daughter.

"Kalu!" he shouted and then darted forward, completely ignoring the fact that Zophise was right behind him. When he reached the child, he bent down on his knees, untied her from the ropes she was bound to, and gently picked her up in his arms. She stared at him with a pained look on her face and made an attempt to speak, but miserably failed. Instead, more tears fell from her face and she emitted a low sob.

Standing up, the demon turned to face the other with his daughter still in his arms. His ruby gaze shifted from one side of the scene to the other, right where Zophise was hovering up in the air.

Suddenly he felt something slightly cold grasp his bare shoulder where his shirt was slightly torn. Looking down, the mamodo realized that Kalu had strained herself to rest her hand on his shoulder. An illegible look overwhelmed his face and he spoke gently to the girl, "Don't waste your strength."

Without saying a word, the girl released her hand and it fell limp to her side as it dangled from her arm. Brago gave a weak smile to her but the look soon vanished as he averted his attention from his daughter to the other demon up in the air.

"Zophise! You're going to pay for this!"

"Oh, am I? It's going to be rather hard to fight me with your daughter in your hands." A smirk crossed the demons face and he raised his hand, eyes twinkling with excitement. "This should be fun..."

Crimson orbs widening, Brago immediately darted away from his original standing position just in time to avoid a Radom attack hurtling his way. There was a crash, and right where he had previously been standing there was a small crater.

"What's wrong, Brago, have you become a coward?" laughed Zophise as he continued to send multiple spells across the scene towards the other mamodo. Brago dodged each and every one of them, shielding his daughter all the while doing so. He could feel her breaths becoming shallower and shallower... Damn, this was _not_ good.

Zophise continued to cackle as he watched Brago hide behind a tree. A few attacks hit the trunk but did not affect it. Here was a strong, sturdy tree that had been there for quite a while-- it would not go down so easily.

Carefully the demon set the hybrid down on the ground and stared at her with a worried look on his face. "Kalu, look at me if you can hear me," he said. She slowly redirected her gaze to look in his eyes and he nodded his head. "Alright. I'm going to get you out of here... It's not safe."

Kalu looked as if she was about to try and say something, but her father shook his head and gently stroked her face with his clawed finger.

"No... don't speak. Save your strength, you'll need it..." He continued to stare at her when suddenly a Radom attack came a little too close for comfort in their direction. Quickly glancing behind him, Brago made sure that Zophise was still having fun with target practice against the tree and he turned back around. "I can't fight him like this... I'm going to find a safe spot for you to rest... OK?"

One wouldn't be able to notice it very well, but Kalu managed to slowly nod her head. More tears trickled down her face when she felt herself be picked up once more by her father.

"Come on. Let's get you out of here."

"What's the matter?" shouted Zophise, now sounding aggravated. "Quit stalling so I can kill you already!" Right as he said that, he suddenly sent a Gigano Radom swooping towards the two. Brago looked up and ran as fast as he could right when the blast hit the tree.

Unfortunately for Brago and Kalu, the tree finally gave way. A rather loud cracking sound was heard as the trunk of the tree slowly began to lean forward and then slowly began to fall over-- right in the two's direction.

Cursing under his breath, Brago leaped as far as he could in order to escape the falling tree. It collapsed onto the ground with a massive crash and nearly swept Brago off his feet. Luckily he had already run a good distance away from its falling point.

"Fools, get back here!" said Zophise angrily as he swiftly flew over to where Brago was retreating. "Stop being such a coward!"

"I'm no coward!" replied the demon angrily as he continued to run. "I'm getting my daughter out of here!"

This response made Zophise angry. Growling with frustration, he raised his hands and began to gather energy in his palms. "I think it's time for my Dioga Teoladomu spell to end this... This will all be over very soon!" he spat as many gigantic flaming rocks formed above his head. "NOW DIE!" he shouted as he thrusted his hands down.

Every one of the rocks hovering above in the air suddenly swept down towards where the two Belmonds were. Zophise cackled maliciously as they quickly headed their way.

Brago turned his head to the side and saw the oncoming attack coming ever so closer to where he and Kalu were. "Kuso..." he hissed. "Kalu, hold on," he warned, now turning his back and running even faster than before, preparing himself just in case he were to be hit by the attack. Brago didn't want to take any risks of harming his daughter...

One of the shards of stone landed beside him and he jumped away from it and began running in a different direction. He saw one coming right towards him again and he cursed once more under his breath.

"Idiot, it's time you die!" laughed Zophise as he watched the boulder coming ever so closer to Brago. "Your compassion will be your fault!"

"No it will not!"

Everyone turned their heads to the side as a new person spoke up. Kalu's eyes lit up as she recognized that well familiar voice. Could it be, she thought, is he here...?

Out from nowhere, Zatch Bell appeared riding atop a horse-like demon everyone knew as Ponygon. The horse demon's muscles had increased and a golden armor was seen on his back, head, and feet; it was trimmed with a red design and a horn was on his forehead-- this made him look almost as if he were one of those elegant unicorns that you would find in a fairytale book for children. The Demon King was on top of Ponygon's back as the horse swiftly jumped from his spot and knocked Zophise's rock away from where Brago stood.

The boulder was sent flying to the right, knocking another one down as well. Zophise's spell was now gone as Ponygon attacked each and every one, sending them away from harming anyone.

Brago gently set Kalu on the grassy ground so he could turn around and get a better view of what was going on and block any other oncoming attacks if necessary. He watched as Zatch and Ponygon landed a few feet away from where he stood.

Zatch stared in Zophise's direction with a scowl clearly seen on his face, his amber eyes shining. "Compassion does not make you weak-- it strengthens your heart and your power! You know nothing, Zophise!" he shrieked. Zophise merely growled in irritation while Brago mused about how lame this sounded.

"Brago! Kalu!"

Turning his head to the side after hearing yet another new voice, Brago looked in the same direction where the other two had come from and saw Sherry running towards the scene, her golden hair flying behind her as she sprinted across the ground as fast as she could.

A sense of relief swam through the demon as he saw his wife was alright and he lightly sighed. That was good... But Kalu wasn't in as good of shape as she was...

When the blonde reached the two she jumped and wrapped her arms around Brago's neck. "I was so worried..." she said, and quickly removed her arms so she could stare down at her daughter. "Oh, God..." She sat down and tenderly picked the girl up in her arms and turned to Brago.

He said nothing but merely turned his head away; Sherry sensed the seriousness of the scene and looked down at Kalu.

"She can't speak right now, let her save her energy," responded Brago when he felt that Sherry was about to talk to the girl. Sherry looked up in curiosity when he said that. "I don't want her loosing anymore strength than she already has."

Nodding her head, Sherry set the child down onto the ground right after giving her a light hug. "I'm sorry..." she whispered in the hybrid's ear, a certain glint appeared in Kalu's eyes. Kalu understood, though right now she really wanted to see Zatch... Unfortunately she couldn't, she was still too weak to do anything...

Back to the other scene, Zatch was staring in the other's direction. Zophise was still hovering in the air, watching the little family reunion taking place. "Damn it," he cursed. "Furigaro should have taken care of her!"

It was at this moment that Brago skulked over to the King and stared down at him with a slight frown on his face. "I could have defended myself on my own, you know," he said dryly.

Still serious, Zatch looked in Brago's direction and smirked. "You looked like you needed help. I found Sherry about to be attacked by another demon too so I helped her, and while coming here I ran across Ponygon." The King pointed in the horse demon's direction.

"Meru!" proclaimed Ponygon.

Zatch nodded his head and turned his attention back to the Belmond family and then over in Kalu's direction. His eyes widened. "I didn't think it was this bad..." he said quietly to himself. He looked over at the immobile hybrid and a saddened expression overwhelmed his face. "Brago, I'm sorry... It's my fault she's like this. I wasn't doing a very good job guarding the portal between the human world and the demon world... I'm sorry..." Zatch now bowed his head to the ground as he said that. "I figured out why Zophise was escaping... And it's my fault... I hadn't been guarding the gate. I didn't think anybody would try to escape! I--"

"Enough," Everyone looked over to where Sherry was, now walking up to the two demons. Kalu was behind her, still lying on the ground. "What has happened has happened," stated Sherry solemnly, eyeing Zatch. "It can't be changed. Let's just get this fight over with so we can defeat Zophise once and for all."

"Hn?" Brago stared at Sherry oddly as she said that. "_We_?" he inquired.

The woman nodded her head. "I want to help too! I know I can do something!" she said, tightening her fists. "It's not Zatch's fault that Kalu is like this... It's that _thing's_ fault. I want to help fight!"

At this remark, the demon shook his head and responded, "No, Sherry. You're not going to fight. This is something Zatch, the horse thing and I will do on our own."

Sherry glared. "I _know_ I can do something, Brago!"

"I know you can, you can look after Kalu while we fight."

"Brago, listen to me!" said Sherry angrily, clenching her fists together even tighter than before. This irritated Brago.

"NO!" he shouted, baring his teeth. "You are _not_ going to fight. Kalu needs to be looked after!"

"But Brago--"

"Dammit, Sherry, can't you see she's _dying_?" Brago stated, now raising his voice. There was an unusual tense silence between everyone as soon as those words escaped the demon's lips. He looked away with an infuriated look and cursed to himself.

"..."Over to the side, Kalu was as silent as ever. Those words broke something within her and her purple orbs contracted as tears formed in the corners of her clouded eyes.

_I'm... dying...?_

Sherry stared at the ground, her heart wildly beating inside her chest. This was a situation she would rather not be in, but this was concerning her family-- her _real_ family, not somebody cruel and spiteful like her mother. This concerned those she cared for...

With a low sigh, Brago walked up and rested his hands on the woman's shoulder. "Will you look after her?" he asked.

"I... Brago, I don't..."

"Will you, Sherry?" The demon cupped the blonde's chin in his hands and forced her to look at him. She was silent, but after a moment's silence she slowly nodded her head. Brago smirked and quickly leaned in and kissed the woman on the lips.

He broke the kiss after a quick second and quickly turned away, his back facing Sherry. The woman stared after him and quickly whispered, "I know you can do it..." before turning back around and running over to Kalu's side.

Zatch, now looking up at Brago, walked up to him and asked, "You ready, Brago?" Ponygon walked up to the King's side as soon as he said that.

Brago took a step forward and stared up in Zophise's direction, who was becoming even more infuriated by the minute. He cracked his knuckles to loosen his hands and smirked.

"I'm more than ready. Let's go."


	33. Combination of the Two Spells

_Whoohoo! I am so happy - i successfully managed to complete the fight scene in this chapter! (rejoices) So very happy indeed! Does anybody know how DIFFICULT it was to write this fight? -. -. Anywho, sorry if it isn't that good later on or may seemed rather rushed, but it was getting late at night and i wanted to get this over with so very badly._

_Anywho, i'll start working on the next chapters after this very soon. Now that this is done i can work on what i have planned at the end and then determine how many more chapters are left. I know that there should be about at least 35... If any maximum it would be 40 but i don't think it'll go that high. It just depends what i have come to mind. n.n_

_Read and review! (rubs eyes tiredly) Yeesh... Happy April Fools, minna!_

_NOTE: Oh yeah, and the combination of the two spells (you'll see later on in this chapt what i mean by that) combining really did happen at one point in the show, i just don't know exactlyHOW it happened but i know it did, so i kinda made some stuff up and added it in there. n.n.' They originally did it in episode 98, or so it says on this one site._

_Alrighty then... yeah... I am tired now so i'm going to sleep. -.-_

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A Gift from the Dark

**Chapter 32**

**Combination of the Two Spells**

Sherry watched with wide azure eyes as the fight continued on. And she thought that her husband was skilled in the past when _both_ of them had to fight together? He was even more of an expert on his own! She realized just how much the books must have dragged the demons down during that war and having to pair up with someone, not that this was a _bad_ thing. Memories flooded her mind as she glanced down at her daughter lying on the ground.

"_Even if a demon is strong he can still lose if paired with a weak human!"_

This was just an example of some of the harsh things Brago would constantly tell her in the beginning before their relationship grew. However, he would not do that anymore. He had become... kinder... more considerate... Now he cared about her. He cared about Kalu.

She observed every movement Brago and the others made with alert eyes, preparing herself to move if necessary. Both she and Kalu couldn't interfere with the other three demons' fight; they would just be in the way. The woman stared back down at her daughter and she stared back with her half closed, clouded purple eyes. Sherry brushed the side of the hybrid's face with her hand gently and whispered quietly to the girl, comforting her and letting her know that she was there. She saw the obvious tiredness and pain in the girl's eyes and yet another spark of worry rose inside her.

"Hang on, Kalu..."

Somewhere to the side where the fight was taking place, Zatch was seen running as fast as he could. His Rauzaruk spell had been activated and he was glowing with a rainbow aura, Ponygon was beside him still engulfed in his powered up armor, while Brago was darting a little ahead at full speed. They were chasing Zophise and, at the same time, trying to avoid the oncoming flaming boulders he was throwing at them.

Taking his hands that had energy rapidly gathering in the palms, Zophise thrusted another one of his attacks at his three opponents. They all easily dodged it but he sent another one coming, this time they blocked them. Brago furiously punched them away while Zatch shot one of his lightning spells, destroying a blast almost immediately since his Rauzaruk spell wore off while Ponygon knocked them to the side by slamming into them.

"Just die already!" shrieked the enemy as he continued his barrage of attacks. They were continuously avoided and or blocked each and every time.

"Zophise!" snarled Brago as he suddenly jumped up into the air after spotting a clear section to pass through, an area where no spells were being thrown at. He was only a foot away from him when the other quickly brought him down with an energy whip.

Explosions were both seen and heard as the whip wrapped around the dark demon's body, setting off blasts in the process and dragging Brago farther away from Zophise. He laughed in a maniacal way seeing the mighty demon before him fall and almost crashing into Zatch.

However, he didn't see Ponygon right behind him and narrowly dodged another swipe from the large horn on his head. With a growl, Zophise sent a Radom attack hurtling towards the horse demon's way to get more distance between them in.

With a cry, Ponygon was sent tumbling to the ground right as Brago stood up. Brago wiped away some blood from his mouth and glared up above him, his crimson irises contracting.

Zatch ran up to Ponygon and panted as he put his hands on his knees. "Ponygon... are... you... alright...?" he asked his companion between gasps.

"Meru," said the other as he slowly stood up on weak legs. His small, beady black eyes darted up to where Zophise floated up in the air. He had stopped to watch the others in amusement; seeing their suffering was pure entertainment.

Brago stepped up to the Demon King before him, his fists clenching. "Do you have any other plans?" he asked coldly. "This isn't working. It was easier to beat him during the fight-- he had a large weakness back then that enabled us to have a better advantage. He has no human partner this time."

Zatch nodded his head. "I know, but..." he trailed off. "I can't just send him away to the dungeons; I have to defeat him first."

"_You_?" Brago scoffed. "There's no need to send him to the dungeon, I'm going to _kill_ him!"

"Brago!" The tiny king before the dark demon stood with a fire in his golden eyes, his head shaking. "You can't just kill him! Even if he's evil, and I'll admit that he really truly is, you can't kill him. He still has a life!"

"Ha! I don't care if he has _nine_ lives, he will die by my hands!" retorted Brago angrily, turning to look at the little king. "I'm not letting this bastard hurt my wife and child any further. He's caused Sherry enough hurt in her past, dammit, he got to her with her old friend's words and we almost ended up dead!" The look on the demon's face deepened with fury. "She couldn't even cast the spell anymore, and if it weren't for me she would be dead! And now he's killing my own daughter-- how much more of this do you think I'm going to tolerate?"

"But it's not just your family that's suffered by him, though!" snapped Zatch, shaking his head. "What about the 1,000 year old demons? How do you think they feel? Or even the humans that were controlled and manipulated by him, what about them? Don't be so selfish, Brago, there's more to it than just yourself!"

"I don't give a damn!" With a spiteful look, Brago clenched his fist, trying to resist the temptation to hurt the king before him to make him shut up. "He was never your enemy in the first place!"

"Zophise was _everyone's_ enemy!"

"He was _ours _and ours _only_!"

"Meru meru mei!"

Chuckling, the demon identified as Zophise watched in amusement as the ones before him continued to bicker. He would stall for time, he could not ever resist a good argument between allies, or at least someone close enough on the same side. Even though they weren't human-- the weak humans were more fun to watch be tortured-- this was still a riot.

Raising his hand to his face, Zophise hid the pure amusement that was obviously seen on his face. He laughed maliciously even more, watching the scene before him.

To the side, Sherry was staring down at her daughter, whose head was lying in her lap while she lay on the ground. Kalu had become even weaker than before and she couldn't even talk at this point... This really wasn't good. What would happen to her?

The mother gritted her teeth, trying to hold back the painful tears that had been gathering in the corner of her eyes. _No, I won't cry! I will be strong! I will be strong for my family-- I'll be strong for Kalu!_

But why did this have to happen? Sherry continued to wonder as she turned her head to watch the fight going on between Zatch and Brago. This wasn't good... Once again it was a demon that had brought her so much misery. It was always just that...!

_But Brago and Kalu had demon blood and they didn't bring her sorrow..._

_Brago was her husband... Her very lover..._

_And Kalu was her precious daughter... Hers and Brago's child..._

_What was bad about them?_

_There was no reason to blame them._

Sherry sighed sadly and closed her eyes. No, there was no reason to blame them. She couldn't blame them... What right did she have to accuse them of anything; they never did any harm to her! Sure, in the past Brago _may_ have made her angry before though he never did now that their relationship was what it was, but... Kalu? Her innocent daughter?

Maybe, mused Sherry, the reason why she kept discriminating Kalu like this for being part demon was because she never entirely healed from the wounds Zophise had inflicted upon her in the past. The hurtful words, the betrayal of her best friend, the fear and knowledge of being alone with no one there for support...

Could that be it?

The woman cursed herself for this. How shameful of her! She had no _right_ to discriminate her own daughter like that! How wrong of her, so very wrong! Kalu had nothing to do with the past-- she was all about the future!

And the future didn't look very bright right then...

Kalu's breaths were slowing down by the minute. It was a miracle she was still with her, alive. However, feared Sherry, this may not last very long... Brago, would you hurry up? Stop arguing with Zatch and _beat Zophise!_

"Enough!" declared Brago finally after a long time of verbal shouts with the King. "I've grown tired of this nonsense, I am going to kill this demon whether you like it or not!" Whirling around, the demon turned his back to the world's ruler. "I'll beat this monster... You wait and see!"

"Well I'm going to help you whether you like it or not!" insisted King Zatch Bell as he stepped up to the darker one before him. "Kalu's my friend! I want to help you!"

_"Fine_," hissed the other. "But his life is_ mine_."

Zatch still frowned as he looked up to Brago. Funny, Zatch mused. In the past I remember he didn't care about others, just for himself. Now look at him, a father and everything...

"Alright," said the King, still not liking Brago's idea too much. He turned to face his horse friend and hopped on top of his shoulders. "We'll have to combine our forces to defeat him, so let's go!"

And with that command the three darted off again in attempts to defeat the demon before them. Zophise glared. That was a little too much time he had allowed them to quarrel with another. He cursed to himself as he raised his hand. Oh well, better kill them while he still could. Better late than never.

Once more the demon thrusted his hand down, sending various flaming rocks down upon his opponents. Quicker than ever, however, Brago dodged them easily and quickly reached the evil being. Zatch and Ponygon stared when they saw the furious hatred in his eyes as he ran past them. _Someone sure was angry..._

Zophise gasped in shock when Brago reached where he was in just a matter of seconds. He jumped and hovered in the air for a moment before he growled nastily and thrust his fist in Zophise's face. There was an unpleasant cracking sound as the demon fell from his spot in the air and landed on the ground, Brago pushing him down all the while.

He landed flat on his back and Brago was feeling generous enough to lay a few more punches on his face. Crying out in pain, Zophise tried his best to make the other stop but his attempts were fruitless.

Zatch and Ponygon finally caught up with Brago and the king gawked at the scene before him. Zophise really wasn't looking too good now... "Brago!" he shouted, running towards the dark mamodo. "You're going to kill him!"

"Good!" shouted Brago angrily in response as his fist collided with Zophise's face once more. "Let him die!"

"STOP!" The Kings efforts to make him stop ended as Zophise yelled out something incoherent and thrusted a Gigano Radom right in his stomach. Brago gasped as he was sent hurtling backwards and ended up crashing into a tree. The force of the contact was so powerful that the tree cracked and then broke, half of it falling to the grassy earth below. Zatch now turned his attentions to Brago, whom was slowly standing up.

"Damn thing..." he cursed and staggered forward. With a painful gasp he staggered forward and fell to the ground, clutching his stomach. Cursing a few more times he tightly shut his eyes closed and gritted his teeth together. "This is _not_ my day..."

"Brago! Are you alright?" Zatch ran up to Brago and bended down, looking at him on the ground. Hissing ever so slightly he slowly pulled his body back up off the ground and opened an eye. More blood trickled from the corners of his mouth but he didn't bother to wipe it away.

"I'm fine," he snapped bitterly and slowly managed to stand up. Glaring towards Zophise, Brago then muttered, "No more games... I've had enough of this."

Zatch stood up as well, Ponygon right by his side. "What do you propose to do?" he inquired, now turning to look in the direction of Zophise. After the previous assaults that Brago had just given, he looked badly injured. "Brago?"

"I'm thinking!" said Brago angrily. He closed his eyes and began to ponder what he should do. With a sigh, he reopened his clouded eyes and turned to look at the sky. A few trees had been knocked down all around him, enabling to see the clear blue sky above.

There were even a few clouds out and a couple of birds flew by quickly. While the world was at peace he was fighting, trying to save his daughter from Death's grasp, and the only way to do that, he knew the only way to have even the slightest chance of helping her was to kill Zophise. There was no book to burn this time, but his life could be taken.

"You know," began Brago after a minute. He clutched his stomach a little tighter, pushing the thoughts of pain away from his mind. "I remember a particular incident where we combined forces to defeat this one enemy..."

Zatch stared at Brago, contemplating every word he was saying. He nodded.

"I don't remember his name," said Brago, "but I remember combining our attacks at one point... You remember, yes?"

Eyes widening, the Demon King stared up at Brago in bewilderment. Right then and there he knew exactly what he was talking about. "Unuu, I remember."

"Good," said Brago as he walked forward, staggering a little. He removed his hand from his side, revealing that it was slightly damp with blood-- the red liquid could be seen on his ash pale skin. He ignored it, the wound would heal. "Now are you going to help me with it or not?"

Hesitant, Zatch looked around him. "I have to think on this, Brago..." he said quietly. Brago shot him a look and Zatch responded, "I can understand you want revenge, but I still have to think of the effects on my kingdom, you know! I _am_ the King, and maybe if you had won in the final battle some of your opinions on things would have changed!"

"Whatever," muttered Brago, spreading his arms out, "Let's just do it already!"

Inhaling and then exhaling a breath, Zatch nodded his head. "Al... Alright. Fine, I'll help you!" Ponygon merely watched in confusion. What _were_ they talking about?

Between the two demons energy started to gather all around them. With Brago, it was in his palms, Zatch, a bright yellow light was emitting from his mouth as he slowly opened it. Electricity shot out everywhere while Zophise stared in shock.

"What are they...?" He didn't finish his sentence. "NO! You are not going to beat me with any more attacks!" Raising both of his arms, Zophise began to collect energy in his own palms as well. "My Oruga Radom will finish the trick!" he shouted.

Suddenly Brago leashed out an immensely powerful gravitational attack through his hands as he jumped back from the power. A golden dragon of lighting was summoned from Zatch and it shot out of his mouth in a raging fury, its howls echoing across the forest. Zophise glared as he watched the two spells suddenly combine, "DAMMIT!"

There was a bright light that suddenly vanished, and when it did it revealed that Zatch's dragon had turned a dark royal purple with yellow streaks of lighting shooting out of the furious dragon's mouth which traveled down its whole body. A dark glow embodied the creature as it shot up to the sky, slowly turning its attention towards Zophise who was cowering in fear as he shot out his own spell.

Brago roared with anger and power, releasing his energy into the spell. Zatch merely stood back, slightly unconscious, as he too released all the energy he had. This spell had only occurred once, only once. These two powerful demons had been fighting yet another, and they at one point combined these two magnificent spells to create the monster that was now there.

With an elegant glow it swooshed through the air, the enormous dragon's jaws opening up wide enough to clasp the demon before it in its jaws.

In a futile attempt to get away from the spell's wrath, Zophise made to fly away to save himself.

Too late.

It came crashing down on him with an enormous rumble; the earth shook as the spell moved downward to the soil, forcing Zophise to the ground in a high pitched scream.

Dust was scattered into the air, and for a while everyone couldn't see through the billowing dirt in the air. When a clear view finally came Zatch's eyes returned to normal after his usage of the spell and he fell forward. He gasped for breath and then looked up in confusion.

"Hey, where's Brago?"

Ponygon, who had been to the side the entire time watching in awe at the dragon's power, awoke from his trance and shook his head about, stating that he didn't know.

Suddenly a shriek caught Zatch's attention and his head jerked to the side and his eyes widened. There, right in front of Zophise, was Brago pounding the living daylights out of him.

Brago was throwing punches by the second to Zophise, who was close enough to unconscious now. He spat in his face with disgust and cried out, "You worthless, arrogant, _bastard_! You coward! You--"

His hand was suddenly stopped by Zatch who grabbed his hand and pulled it away, a frown clearly seen on his face. "Brago, stop! He has a life, he'll be punished, just don't kill him!"

"I will do whatever the hell I want, Zatch," argued Brago angrily as he turned his attention back to Zophise. "It's time I end all this once and for all!"

"But Brago--"

"SHUT IT!" yelled an infuriated demon as he thrusted the other demon into the ground. At this point Zophise was knocked out cold. Turning around, Brago stared down at the little blonde before him and scowled. "If you let him live he's just going to come back and try to hurt my family again, I will not allow that."

"I'll make sure he won't," promised Zatch. He shook his head slightly and stared at the dark demon with an intense look. "I just don't want you to kill him, it's not right! Yes, he's evil, but he doesn't deserve to die."

"Hn, it's always better to get rid of most of the things that offend you," said Brago coldly as he looked down at the knocked out demon before him. "He'll probably die anyway without my help at this point. I don't need to do any more damage."

"..." Zatch was silent as he stared at Brago oddly. There was a silence between the two and Ponygon soon walked up to the King.

"Meru meru, meru meru mei meru mei!"

Zatch stared. "What is it, Ponygon?" The horse demon was frantically jumping about on his hind legs, pointing over in some direction. "Well?"

"BRAGO!"

There was a distinct tone of panic coming from Sherry's voice as she screeched to her husband, trying to get him to hear her cry. The demon turned around and turned a shade paler when he saw the expression on his wife's face.

"Brago, get over here now!" cried Sherry worriedly. She was standing up, holding onto Kalu whose eyes were now closed. "You must help! She's stopped breathing! I've tried everything but she's not waking up, she's going to die if we don't do something!"

A look of pure terror overwhelmed Brago, and, without second thought, he ran over as fast as he could to the distressed woman. He didn't even feel the tingling pain that was running up his side from the wound he gained when smashing into that tree, all he cared about right now was Kalu.

After a moment he finally reached her and looked down at the frail girl and put his hand to her chest. There was no heartbeat, and she definitely wasn't breathing.

"Damn it..." he cursed. Zatch was soon at their side along with Ponygon. When the blonde took a look at the situation his amber eyes widened.

"Sherry, Brago," he said quickly, trying to get in what he needed to say. They both turned to look at him. "I know what I can do to help her, though you two are going to have to let me take her to my castle where I can help her-- there's not much time left!" The King was insistent, and, since the two parents were in such a mess, they nodded their heads.

"Alright, do what you must," said Brago as he watched Sherry help Kalu onto Ponygon's back. Zatch hopped on his back too and held onto Kalu with his left arm.

"I'll be at the castle, meet me there!" he said as Ponygon suddenly darted off at full speed. Brago and Sherry watched in anxiety as their daughter was rushed off to go get help.

Both stood for a moment in silence, but then Sherry couldn't take it any longer. Finally releasing the tears that she had been holding back all this while she cried out and buried her face into her husband's chest as she embraced him. He immediately wrapped his arms tightly around her shoulders, comforting her.

She cried as he held her, slowly rocked her back and forth and laid his own forehead against hers. The two stood like this for a long while and Sherry continued to weep. Brago didn't cry, of course, but he could feel his anger rising towards Zophise. _It was his fault all this happened..._

But at the moment, he couldn't worry about that. The first thing he needed to do was to go to the King's castle-- to where their daughter was-- to Kalu.

"Come on," murmured Brago as he wiped away some of the tears from Sherry's eyes. "It's time we go. We need to get a move on. Besides, I don't want us to be around when another demon comes around to inspect any dragon he may have seen."

Nodding her head, Sherry tried to stop crying. The two quickly then began to run as fast as they could, following Zatch and Ponygon's path, Brago leading Sherry the entire way.

And while they ran they hoped against hope that their daughter was alright.

"Let's hope she doesn't die..."


	34. Permanent Tears

_Gah... I need to stop procrastinating... I have a project due tommorow and i'm ony partially done with it... I just gotta do something that i can't do at the moment so i'm stuck doing absolutely NOTHING! Oh, wait, i'm updating this story here... That's something! And... and then i read the 5th Zatch Bell manga and started on .hack/AI Buster 2, and... and...!_

_Brago: (rolls eyes) No, really. You're just sitting there on your a--_

_Shush! Let me enjoytalking to myself as i type on the keyboard for all to see my random conversations!_

_Brago: Whatever... Can i just go back to the story now?_

_I dunno... Can you?_

_Brago: (vein)(walks away)_

_Heehee! n.n Oh, and by the way, there will be about **4 chapters** left in this entire story. (cries a river) It's almost over..._

_Disclaimer: I down own Konjiki no Gash Bell, but i do own Kalu! MY OC! MY MUSE! BUWAHAHAHAHA!_

_Kalu: o.O Mamma... Daddy... She's scaring me..._

_Brago: Haven't you given her enough torture for one lifetime? -.-_

_... Shush..._

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A Gift from the Dark

**Chapter 33**

**Permanent Tears**

Deep in the King's castle, two worrisome parents stood at the door to an almost empty section. The floor was a hard wood that shimmered slightly as it reflected the light bouncing into the room through the open window. On one side of a wall was a bed and on it laid a limp, unconscious figure.

"What was it exactly that was hurting her?" asked a woman, Sherry, as she gazed upon her unmoving child. Her face was reddened from being so distressed and crying. She sniffed as she wiped away another tear that trickled down her cheek. It had already turned about five o'clock in the afternoon, nine hours since the entire event of the day had started.

As the human's question escaped her lips, the Demon King walked into the room. The childlike demon looked as if he had been rather stressed about something for quite a while, which in fact was exactly what had been happening. For hours he had been helping Brago and Sherry's daughter, trying to make sure she didn't slip away... Now the only thing they could do was wait and see when, or if, she would wake up.

"It was that personality Zophise gave her," responded the King as he walked into the room, looking around at both of the parents. "At first it didn't do any harm to her, all it did was make her more aggressive."

"Then what?" inquired Brago, looking down upon the smaller demon before him.

Zatch sighed and warily stared at the ground. "One of the other demons that helped me out with curing her told me that the first added personality was altered by Zophise. Afterwards, it began to slowly kill her and eat away at her strength to the point where she couldn't move nor speak anymore." Glancing up, the blonde observed the expressions on the two's faces, they were both fairly upset.

Turning her head, Sherry stared sadly upon Kalu with her azure eyes and began to walk toward to the little girl. She stroked the child's cheek with her hand and sighed heavily. Kalu was so weak at the present moment... What was she to do?

"And the persona," started Sherry without tearing her eyes away from her child, "Is... Is it still there?"

Biting his lip, the King hesitantly nodded. "Y-yes..."

"Can't you take it away from her?" asked Sherry, finally turning away to look at the Demon King. "It can be removed, right?" Sherry stared. "R-right?"

"I... I'm sorry," said Zatch Bell, staring at the ground. "But... it can't be removed. Zophise put a spell on her that made it everlasting. Take it away and Kalu will die for sure. It's become apart of who she is now."

"Then what the hell are we supposed to do?" asked Brago angrily as he glared down at the miniature king. "She's our daughter, dammit, isn't there anything?" He stooped down and furiously grabbed the collar of Zatch's shirt with his hands. "Anything?"

Zatch looked away from the angry parent with saddened eyes but didn't say a word. Sherry watched as her husband growled a bit and then thrust the blonde away from him. She stood up and walked over to the dark demon, placed her hands on his shoulders, and stared down at the ruler.

"Zatch," she began, "Is there anything else you would like to say about Kalu? We would really like to know."

For a moment, he paused, unsure of what he should say, but after a moment the king nodded his head. "...She can't go back to the human world."

"What!" Sherry stared, her mouth agape. "W-what do you mean by that? Explain yourself!"

Putting on another saddened expression, Zatch glanced down to the ground and spoke quietly. "In order to save her a special spell had to be placed on Kalu to stop her other personality from killing herself. However, the spell only works in the demon world, so if you were to ever take her back she would most likely die."

"...But..." The woman stared, her gaze averting to her husband's for a quick second before she finally turned her attention back to the king. "Well if... Let's say if we _did_ take her back, how long do you think she would survive?"

"From what I was told, no more than an hour," said Zatch solemnly. He shot a glimpse over to the unmoving child before he turned back and headed out the door. "I'm sorry... it's all my fault this happened, I didn't protect the portal well enough. I hope you can forgive me..."

And with that, he quietly strode out of the room, leaving the two parents with their child. Sherry stared long and hard afterwards, contemplating every single thing Zatch had said.

Sighing, she turned to look at Brago who stared at her back. They said nothing but silently embraced another once more, worrying over their daughter.

Brago held onto the woman tightly as he glanced across the room over Sherry's shoulder where Kalu lay. There had not been too many times where he was particularly very worried, but there were still a few occasions.

One of the situations was when the Battle for King was still taking place, not too long before their first kiss. Sherry would constantly worry over her friend Koko's well being after the fight with Zophise took place. From all the stress she was feeling, Brago couldn't help but feel stressed as well; he had been concerned for her, wondering if she was alright.

Another time had been before the final battle with Zatch, he wondered what would happen in the end: Would he end up claiming the throne and take Sherry with him, or would he lose and have to leave her behind? Even though he couldn't become the king, he was at least able to stay with Sherry, he was relieved about that.

Then there was when Sherry was pregnant with Kalu... The woman had become very ill quite often during her pregnancy; Brago merely assumed that it was because she wasn't exactly fit to carry a crossbreed between a human and demon. He was worried that their own child could possibly kill her or be killed before she was even born. And then when she finally was, there was always the natural concern of his wife and child's well being...

This situation was defiantly one of the worst he had to experience...

"Brago...?"

The woman's voice snapped the demon out of his trip down memory lane and he turned to look down at her with his ruby orbs. "What?"

"You should really get that wound cleaned up," she stated simply, referring to the gash around the side of his waist. When he and Sherry arrived at the King's castle he never bothered to clean the wound, he had been too distracted with other important activities. "It doesn't look too good... You're still bleeding."

"I'll be fine. It's just a small wound."

"Brago, that is _not_ a small wound," Sherry said, giving him a firm look. "_That_ is a rather large cut that needs to be taken care of. Come on, I know that there must be some bandages somewhere around here..."

So with those words spoken the woman grabbed Brago by the arm and led him to a small cabinet that was in the room. Luckily this was the infirmary of the castle, they were sure to find some things in storage for supplies required for cleaning and curing injuries. A decent amount of bandages were soon found, Sherry began to gather all she assumed she would need out of the cabinet.

When Brago threw off his shirt to have his injury inspected, his wife gasped as she took a good look at the damage. "That's worse than what I thought," she said quietly, now taking the white material in her hand, setting it to the side, glancing at the wound. The skin around the cut was completely reddened; a little blood was still trickling down his side. "I can't use this quite yet, I need a wet cloth," said Sherry, turning away.

"It's not that bad, Sherry," said Brago as he watched the woman get up and continue to search for the desired materials. "It'll heal, trust me. I've had worse happen."

"Yes, but every time I saw something really bad I already had an emergency kit with me, or at least Jii did," said Sherry, still searching through the different cabinets, opening and closing the variety of cupboards. "So that was an advantage."

The demon rolled his eyes and glanced back to his daughter. If she had been awake she would have been giggling and having fun, laughing at her parents' minor bickering. She would be there, conscious, back to her old self once more...

"Brago," said Sherry, now walking over to her husband. He nodded his head and sighed, then sat down on a bench in the room that was off in the corner; his wife sat down next to him. She had found a small door to the side that led to where a faucet was and where she could pour fresh water on a cloth as she held it under the running water. Beginning to clean up the wound to the demon's side, she continued the conversation once more. "So...What are we going to do now that Kalu can't leave this world?"

Brago sat there for a moment, pondering about his response. The cool, wet rag felt good against his exposed skin and he closed his eyes as he slowly let himself begin to relax, relieving a little more stress from the day. "I suppose... we'll just have to stay here for now as well."

Sherry didn't respond to his comment right away; instead, she merely continued to press the wet rag against the injury. She finally cleaned up enough blood and began to wrap the bandages around his side.

"Hmm... I suppose so..." said the woman quietly. "I remember Kalu once saying she didn't like coming here very much. The only reason why she came was because she was forced to and that she wanted to see Zatch..."

"Hn."

"Has she told you this?"

"Yes."

"Ah."

They continued on in silence and finally the woman finished up her job right after tying a small knot with the bandage, securing it so it wouldn't fall off or loosen. Brago looked at her as she sat up strait and sighed. He brushed a clawed hand against her soft cheek silently, staring into her azure eyes and her into his crimson ones

For a moment they just sat like this, silently, until Brago stood up and said, "I have to go out for a while," he spoke, glancing at his daughter quickly before returning his gaze to Sherry.

"Where are you going?"

"Hn, just need to complete some unfinished business."

Sherry nodded her head, indicating that she understood. "I see..."

Brago turned and looked down at his wife. "I'll be back as soon as I can... If Kalu wakes up just tell her I went out somewhere quickly. Nodding her head, Sherry stated that she understood once more and Brago let a small smile cross his lips. He bent down and cupped the woman's chin, capturing her lips with his own; she immediately returned the kiss and rested her hands on his bare shoulders, enjoying every second.

"This is for the both of us," he whispered softly between a short breath and Sherry nodded.

After a moment he broke the embrace and stared down fondly upon the woman before him. She smiled back a little and let a tear trickle down from her eye. "I love you, Brago..."

While nodding his head, Brago stood up, grabbed his fur cloak and threw it back on around his shoulders before walking out the door. "I'll be right back..."

-o-o-o-o-o-

Night had befallen the demon world and in the middle of the forest there was silence. The birds that had flown away from the earlier fight had slowly returned, though not as many were there as before. However, they would make their way back-- they always did whenever two demons fought another, the all too familiar fighting and flying away from it experience had almost become like a routine, although the fights didn't always happen all the time.

Lying on the ground was a badly beaten up figure. He had been there, unmoving, silent for hours it seemed. It was as though he had been entirely forgotten. Or had he...?

To the right, another shadowed figure began to walk over to where the beaten up demon lay. The outline of the being stared in disdain as he gritted his teeth and fists, glaring down upon the wounded figure.

An eye slowly turned to the side and a low chuckle was then emitted: A horrid, low, loathsome laugh that represented pure malevolence...

"Come to finish the job, eh, Brago?" Zophise laughed halfheartedly as he painfully shook his head. "Should have known..."

"Shut it, you bastard," hissed the dark demon irritably as he clenched his fists even tighter. Brago glared and his crimson orbs vanished, leaving only white within his clouded eyes. "I've come here for two reasons."

"Oh, so now it's two reasons, hm?"

In a spiteful move, Brago roughly kicked the other in the side and he rolled over a few times before stopping once more, this time on his side, facing the demon. Zophise looked up with his yellowish red eyes and smirked.

"Whether I die or not, your daughter will still remain in that condition," he said coolly. "She'll forever have that personality, even if she lives. It's apart of her now, you can't get rid of it. That is, unless you wish to get rid of your precious, wonderful daughter... Heh, heh, heh..." Zophise continued to snicker mirthlessly and Brago grinded his teeth together.

Quickly, his foot came in collision with Zophise's side yet again and the vile creature rolled onto his stomach. The dark demon bent down and grabbed him by the throat before he rammed him against a nearby tree, the grin on the other's lips broadened.

"Tell me how to remove it," hissed Brago.

"I told you, there's no possible way to get rid of it. Now that I've given your daughter this persona, it can't be erased. Even _I_ can't erase it from her being." Zophise smiled but then gasped as the grip around his throat tightened. He didn't bother to try and remove Brago's hands away from him; he was too weak to move.

"Jaa, so tell me, you liar," said Brago after a moment, his eyes flashing. "About three months ago Kalu was almost kidnapped. I know now that you were the one who sent that demon, and you were also the one who stole a book so that he could use his powers in the human world. Why couldn't you just come and show your damn face in the human world so I could take care of you then and there?"

The smirk remained on Zophise's face but he said nothing, he merely grinned in arrogance at the other's obvious irritation. Brago scoffed and his grip around the other's neck increased, causing him to squirm ever so slightly from the pain.

"Just as I thought," snarled Brago as he violently threw the other demon onto the ground. The mind-controlling demon wheezed as his back came in contact with the hard surface of the earthy floor. "You coward..."

Zophise said nothing. The smug look that had previously been on his face soon vanished entirely, and, hearing the tone in Brago's voice, a look of fear swept over his features. "N-no... Don't do anything else..." he whispered painfully, quickly shutting his eyes together tightly, not wanting to face the other's wrath any further.

Emotionlessly, Brago raised his right arm, eyes boring down into the cowering demon before him on the ground. "It's time you left this world."

"Do you think that killing me will really solve your problems?" asked Zophise tiredly as he stared up into the blank eyes of the dark demon. "Do you really think that Kalu will return back to normal after my death?"

Without saying a word, a dark aura soon engulfed Brago's hand and a sudden surge of energy began to pound against the beaten demon's body. Shortly after, Brago turned away without saying a word after the collapse of the other demon, whom laid there lifelessly on the ground.

Zophise had been claimed by death, but Brago was still unsure if Kalu really would get better again after this ordeal. He didn't look back after he walked away from the scene, the demon merely headed back to the castle, to his family.

"I don't know if she'll be entirely healed," Brago murmured to himself quietly as he strode across the forest. "But she won't die, that I know."


	35. Distraught Child

_Hey, everyone! Sorry that i haven't been on much lately. Some things have happened and i was unable to get on the computer. -.-_

_Meh... anywho, here's an update! This is another angsty chapter to warn y'all... but the next one should not be too angsy... In fact, i don't think it really is. And then after that chapter there's the epilogue which i have yet to type up. Gr... i just dunno too much how i'm gonna write it, although i know what i want to happen. It's just so... so... GRAH! >. _

_Meep... i'm gonna have a busy July comin' up. Let's see... in July i'll be learning 3 different art stuff with manga, animation, and 3D animation, and then there's my birthday in July (I'llbe 14!) as well. And those classes last 3 weeks so i'll be BUSY!_

_Well... anyway, i'm babbling, so just read the chapter already and send your feedbacks please! n.n Y'know i like reviews! XD_

_Disclaimer: WHY are you reading this? This has NEVER been mine and it NEVER will be! But Kalu's mine, i'll say that now.HAHAHAHAHA!_

_Kalu: o.O_

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A Gift from the Dark

**Chapter 34**

**Distraught Child**

In the room where Sherry and Kalu were, the room was rather light; even though it was dark throughout the demon world, there were torches lit throughout the hallways of the king's castle and in the one particular room that they were in.

Sherry had not too long ago brought up a chair to Kalu's bedside and was somewhat lying on the edge of the child's bed, her arms crossed and draped over the mattress with her head in between them while sitting on the seat. For a long while after Brago left, the woman merely sat next to her daughter's bedside and eventually drifted off to sleep, waiting for something to happen. Brago had yet to return, but she knew where he had gone to and what he had been planning to do... She knew he had gone to kill him...

Shoulders rising and falling as she slept, the woman continued to slumber in slight unease. Kalu was still positioned on the bed, her blue-black hair spread out messily on the fluffy pillow beneath her. She lay there motionless, but after a long while her hand twitched and her eyes tightened just slightly before the child turned her head to the side, mumbling out something incoherent while doing so. And then steadily, but slowly, she began to open her eyes.

At first, her vision was blurry: The only thing she could see was a vast swirl of colors that made her head hurt, so she closed her eyes once more to wait for the throbbing pain to go away. After waiting a few more minutes, Kalu tried again, this time blinking away the haziness within her vision. Colors transformed into shapes as her sight slowly returned. The first thing that caught her eye was something yellowish... blonde hair... Again, she blinked and realized that it was her mother near the edge of the bed, her arms crossed over the mattress, silently sleeping.

The child's eyes slowly widened as she realized that it was indeed her mother. A feeling of comfort overwhelmed her now that she knew someone close was nearby, she opened her mouth and attempted to speak, but instead of a clear voice it was somewhat raspy, but nonetheless she spoke.

"Mamma...?"

Squeezing her eyes a little, Sherry grumbled and moved her head away, almost as if protesting to have been woken up. Her eyes slowly opened and, when the fact that she heard her daughter's voice registered, she blinked again and immediately sat up, turning to look into the hybrid's direction.

The two held eye contact for a good second before Sherry blinked again after rubbing her eyes and stared. "Kalu... are you... really awake?" Her daughter made a small murmuring sound, confirming that she was, and the mother's eyes widened. "Kalu... You're alive... You're alive!" she breathed. Tears began to roll down her cheeks as she smiled, her hands began to tremble.

She was going to live after all...

Bending over, the woman squeezed her daughter's hand gently with her own as she smiled down into her clouded purple eyes. Kalu was still feeling fairly woozy and there was a small tinge of pain in the back of her head still, most likely a small headache, but she felt much better now that she had a good rest, it was a great deal better than how she had been feeling earlier. Even that very moment her strength was slowly beginning to return... What a wonderful sensation.

"Mamma..." Kalu whispered again as she blinked. "Where... where am I?"

"You're in Zatch's castle," her mother answered, bowing her head. "During the last fight you stopped breathing. You needed immediate attention so you were brought here... We were really worried about you, Kalu."

With that said, the child merely laid there for a minute, forcing her foggy mind to think back to what had previously happened before she lost consciousness. Slowly she started to remember as memories began to rapidly flood her mind, her eyes widened in shock. The incident with hurting the children at school, releasing that new spell that she had for sure inherited from her father, being captured by Zophise... Her eyes squeezed tightly together at this thought as she recalled him entering her mind, altering the new personality that he previously gave her. Such a painful experience... he had been inside her very soul... And then there was something about her father and... Wait! Brago! Where was he?

"Where's Daddy?" Kalu instantly inquired as soon as her thoughts led to her father. She tried to force herself to sit up on the light blanketed bed, but unfortunately her body wasn't cooperating with her very well. As soon as she strained her body to move she immediately fell back down, whimpering a little in the process. A look of concern instantly swept over Sherry's features and she grasped the child's hand a little tighter.

"I... I know he went somewhere..." the girl spoke quietly as she closed her eyes, letting them rest a little while she continued. "I remember... you and Daddy were talking while I was... while I was sleepy... And then he said something I didn't understand, and then I also remember... I also... I..." Kalu opened her eyes to stare at her mother with an illegible expression, her purple orbs glistening with emotion. Sherry stared back at her daughter.

"You remember what, Kalu?" asked Sherry softly, almost fearing what her daughter had to say. From the tone in her voice, it couldn't have been good.

She noticed a small tear trickle down from the child's eye; a weeping sound was afterwards emitted from Kalu's throat. Sherry swallowed and held her breath, not knowing what to expect, and then exhaled when the words escaped her daughter's lips: "I heard someone say I can't go back home..."

So that was it...

Kalu had never been very fond of her father's world, in fact she would usually complain a little about having to leave whenever the two planned to train. She would continuously ask Brago over and over again if she could be tutored in the human world, but he always shook his head, telling her that he couldn't use his own powers in that world very well, so they would have to leave for his home world instead.

And now Kalu was unable to leave this world, the one she disliked; she could never return home, not ever again. Sherry bit her lip as a saddened expression overcame both hers and her daughter's features and she lowered her gaze to the ground.

"Yes... I'm sorry, sweetie, but it's true." This pained her so much to see Kalu like this. If only she could be happy, that's what Sherry wanted, but now she was falling to pieces, unable to return to the place she knew as, loved, and called home.

Tears formed in the corners of Kalu's eyes as she resisted the urge to cry. "Y-you mean... I can't ever go back?" she whimpered, her eyes shaking. When Sherry shook her head, a tear trickled down Kalu's cheek and she immediately turned away, hugging herself with her arms as she silently began to cry with her back turned to her mother.

The woman stared down at Kalu in an apologetic way. "I'm so sorry, Kalu," she said sadly. For a while she sat in an uncomfortable silence, unsure of what to say or do next. After a minute the blonde looked over to her daughter, her back was still facing her. The saddened look on Sherry's face remained and she reached out to rest her hand on the hybrid's shoulder. Kalu flinched, undoubtedly not wanting to be touched at the moment.

Sighing, Sherry pulled her hand back, now only coming up with one other solution. "Kalu... would you like to hear another story?"

Kalu neither turned around to face the other nor did she speak. Instead, she merely thought to herself, remembering the last time she was told a "story" she had been informed that she was half demon--news that she utterly despised to that very day. What kind of unpleasant things did Sherry have to tell her this time?

After waiting for a moment, Sherry saw that her daughter wasn't going to answer her, so she decided to carry on with what she had to say anyway, hoping that her plan would work. "Would you like to hear a little something about the black book?" she inquired, tilting her head to the side while doing so. Kalu still didn't respond so she continued. "Have you ever wondered why the book still exists, even though it had been previously burned in the past?"

Again, Kalu still said nothing, although she did avert her eyes to the side without turning her head around. Hearing about the black book didn't seem like bad news... it had even sparked a little interest within her, however she was rather unsure whether she wanted to know or if she even cared. It became evident that this really didn't matter, for Sherry went on with the story.

"The reason is because after it was burned, Zatch Bell returned it to us," said Sherry, still keeping an eye on her daughter. "He used a special spell that allowed him to recreate the book, and he even allowed it to have all the spells that Brago and I had previously unlocked in the past. He said that it could be useful in situations where we may possibly need it.

"But honestly, after the war was over, I always viewed it as a reminder of your father, no longer a tool." Sherry sighed, Kalu still wasn't responding. What could she say that would make her talk? The woman waited a moment before she went on with the story. "I remember all of the battles I was in with your father, and every time I look at that book memories always fill my mind. Some pleasant, some not..."

The last line that Sherry said caught Kalu's attention and she wondered: Bad memories, what kind? Without thinking, she blurted, "What were some bad times?"

Inwardly, Sherry smiled; at least something made her speak. "Well... you know," the woman said as she shifted her position on the chair, making herself more comfortable. "In the beginning, my relationship with Brago wasn't that great. In fact, we fought quite a bit."

"You did?" Kalu inquired, still refusing to turn around, although it was quite tempting at this point. She was very curious now; she couldn't possibly imagine her parents fighting! Every time she saw them together they got along quite well and they never fought, not ever! Well... except when Sherry yelled at Brago for not eating cooked foods and would then ask him to at least try some. Those were actually pretty funny to watch, but that wasn't the point.

A small smile crept upon Sherry's lips as she saw that Kalu was slowly starting to speak again; she was so delighted that she could get her to talk. But did it really have to be a discussion about her past relationship and arguments with Brago? Oh well, not much she could do about that, it was merely the truth. What could she do? Initially, Brago did have a violent temper, although he had tremendously mellowed out throughout the years (Heck, he was a father!). He still kept some of his past traits, however, but that was just Brago for you.

"Yes," the woman finally answered as she nodded her head, thinking to herself for a minute about her husband. Kalu hesitated, and after a moment she twisted her tiny body back around just a little so she could get a better look at her mother. When she did, she gave her an inquiring look that clearly said she wanted to hear more. "Well..." Sherry shrugged. "I remember in the past he didn't have the same attitude as he does now."

"What do you mean?"

"Hmm..." Sherry mused to herself, trying to think of a good way to explain this to Kalu without pointing fingers at anybody or saying anything in a bad way. "He was more... aggressive, and he was always looking for a fight." Kalu tilted her head to the side in a questioning manner as her mother said this. "But he did have that strict kindness to him that he has now," said Sherry with a small grin. Kalu glanced downwards away from her mother's view before she looked back up into her azure eyes.

"How else did he act?" she asked.

Laughing a little, Sherry shook her head as she closed her eyes. What else was she to say? Kalu was certainly acting nosy at the moment. "Honestly, Kalu, that's how he acted." The woman stopped for a moment to think before she added, "He also liked doing things his own way, but he already behaves like that, doesn't he?"

Kalu giggled a little, her first, genuine smile in what seemed like forever. Even though it had only been about a day and a half, throughout this time it almost seemed as though it had been extended to years rather than days. Her mother smiled, glad to see that she was finally relaxing. Sherry reached down and grasped the little girl's hand and she stopped laughing, but smiled and returned the tight grip, or at least tried her best to do so in her weak condition.

Suddenly, without warning, the doors to the room opened and the two's heads spun around to see who the intruder was. In the doorway stood Brago, staring at the two as he entered the room. He had at last returned from his little venture in the woods where the battlegrounds had been from the last fight. At first, he only stared at his wife, but then he averted his attention to his daughter and somewhat smiled. When he saw that she was awake he couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of relief.

"You're finally awake, Kalu," Brago said quietly as he began to walk over to the small child. As soon as he reached her bedside he brushed a clawed hand against her pale cheek, staring down at her. "It's good to see you up again..."

"Daddy..." Kalu whispered. She stared up into his ruby red eyes but then turned her attention to the cuts and bruises all over him and blinked. "Why are you hurt?"

"It's nothing, just some scratches," Brago said coolly, noting the saddened expression that just appeared on the girl's face. "Don't worry, I'll be alright."

"Th-this is my fault... isn't it?" Kalu stared up into her father's identical clouded eyes. "I... I remember you were fighting someone because of me..." the girl whimpered.

"Kalu, it's not your fault," reassured Sherry, grasping onto her hand a little tighter, trying to comfort her. "Your father will be alright. Trust us, OK?"

Tears began collecting in the corner of the hybrid's eyes once more and she sobbed as she closed her eyes, shaking her head slightly. "Why is this happening? Emma died and... and I hurt people... I couldn't control me... And now Daddy's hurt too... It's all my fault... I can't even go back home. Why...?"

Staring at her daughter with an illegible expression, Sherry averted her eyes to her hand that was clamped firmly around Kalu's. She was supposed to be so happy now that she was awake again, they were supposed to go back to their normal routine, but now... her laughs were turning into tears and there wasn't much she could do...

"Kalu... it's not your fault," Sherry repeated, but her words went unheard. Kalu kept crying, the hot tears pouring down her face like a waterfall. This continued to upset Sherry and she bowed her golden head as she stared at the ground in unease.

Small tears began to form and trickle down Sherry's cheek; she wiped them away but was beginning to overflow with emotion; salty tears were falling down her face just like Kalu. The woman sniffed and bent down as she embraced her daughter tightly, softly whispering to her to try and calm her down.

"Shh... Kalu, it's alright, don't cry... don't cry... Please, it's going to be OK..."

Sherry tenderly moved Kalu so the girl was in her lap as she held onto her affectionately, slowly rocking her back and forth a little as she tried to bring the distressed child some form of comfort. Brago watched the scene as his own expression changed too, and he sighed as he took his arms and wrapped them around the two girls in his own strong yet gentle embrace, silently mourning along with them.

Kalu cried. She cried for Emma--her friend that was killed, she wept for those that she had hurt and for her family, for not ever being able to go back home. Sherry cried for her daughter and for her pain, and as she turned to look up at Brago through watery eyes she said nothing; her expression was all he needed to read her thoughts. Brago said nothing but instead returned the gaze before he closed his eyes, holding onto his family just a little bit tighter.

For a good long while, the family just stayed like this, holding onto one another in the troubled embrace. And after a decent amount of time, Kalu gradually cried herself to sleep and Sherry held onto her daughter just a little longer before she too drifted off to sleep with the child in her arms.

Brago watched as his family slept in discomfort and he sighed. He waited a long while before he took Kalu in his own arms and tucked her into the bed once again, afterwards taking Sherry and moving her back to the bench, grabbing one of the pillows from Kalu's bed and placing it beneath his wife's head. The demon took off the furry cloak and shirt around his shoulders and threw them atop Sherry, wrapping the warm material around her body like a blanket when he noticed her shiver. A small smile crept upon his inhuman lips when he saw that the woman stopped shivering and quickly went back to sleeping.

Brago backed up and stared at his family, watching them sleep. He inwardly sighed as he turned back around to sit on the chair by Kalu's bedside, the one that Sherry had brought up to rest on earlier. Zophise was dead, but that didn't mean there wouldn't be any more problems, Zatch could possibly yell at him for that, but he didn't care, why should he? In the morning they would have to discuss with him what would need to be done, now that Kalu couldn't leave the world that they were in. There was the high chance that they would have to find a new home, most likely the demon world--a world in which Kalu despised...

Now the only thing he hoped for was a solution that wouldn't cause everyone so much distress, something that wouldn't be so difficult. An answer that everyone, particularly Kalu, wouldn't be so distraught over.

Oh, how difficult that would be.


	36. Out with the Old, In with the New

_Hn, thought that i would update the second to last chapter and wait a bit before i updated this story again, because i am constantly editing the epilogue that i have planned and written and don't know how many times i'll do that. So, i'll just let y'all have this lil' chapter before i update the epilogue on June 15, how does that sound?_

_T.T I'm sad now... this is almost done, and now i'll be obsessively working on my story Erased after this. And then i haven't even TOUCHED Take Your Pick or The Tournament.. (sigh) Lack of inspiration, i suppose. But this is my last track out week ever and i'm sad now... (sniffle) That means i have to go back to school... >. Well, that's life._

_Anywho, enough of my tirade. You peeps just read n' enjoy the chapter and do whatever it is you do after you review._

_Disclaimer: I own nothing but the pictures of Kalu (and Kalu XD) that i draw and the cute lil' fanarts that i draw... but i don't really own those either... (sobs) The world is out to get me! Ooh, lookie, the 6th manga has the scene with episode 12 in it. n.n Happy now. (saunters off to do more fanart)_

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**A Gift from the Dark**

**Chapter 35**

**Out with the Old, In with the New**

"Mmn..." Sherry stirred in her sleep, her eyes slowly opening. When her vision returned she realized just where she was and sat up, looking around the room. She was still lying on the bench in the same room as Kalu, a pillow underneath her, Brago's fur cloak on top of her. She turned her head to the side and saw that Kalu was still silently snoozing on the bed, her face buried underneath the covers. The only thing visible was a patch of blue-black hair sticking out from under the sheets; Sherry heavily sighed and turned to look around the room.

Brago was nowhere to be seen, as the woman quickly noted, seeing as she and Kalu were the only two in the room. Where was he, she wondered, probably either out doing some business of sorts or to grab something to eat... Maybe even both?

With another sigh, the woman laid back down on the bench, resting her head on the fluffy pillow. No way was she going to get up and look for her husband, or do anything else for that matter. Sherry was way too exhausted to get up and move about and she certainly didn't want to get lost again, nor come across an unfriendly demon, so sleep was the best answer she could come up with. She was awfully tired anyway. Closing her eyes, the blonde attempted to gain more rest, but found that instead of relaxing, she got worked up all over again; her mind was running on complete overtime and didn't seem to want to shut down again, though after the previous day, who could blame her?

So many thoughts swam through her head all at once as the minutes rolled by; she questioned things such as what they would do about Kalu's added personality or where they would live now that she couldn't leave the demon world, most likely they would stay where they were. And... just where was Brago? She wanted to see him...

Sitting up from the bench, Sherry glanced around the room, averting her attention from her daughter and then to the door; the door was closed shut and she couldn't hear any noise coming from outside of it and... no, wait... now she _could_ hear faint footsteps. The woman waited patiently and somewhat anxiously, somewhat eager to find out whom it was; they grew louder and louder and echoed slightly through the hallway. Who was it?

The door soon opened and she sighed in relief.

"Oh, Brago... Good morning," she said warmly yet quietly as her husband returned the phrase with small smile on his lips. He entered the room and she stared at what he held in his hands. "Brago... you went back to the human world, didn't you?" she asked curiously, looking up into Brago's crimson eyes. In one arm was Kalu's kitten, Yuki, a look of pure annoyance clearly seen on the cat's face, and tucked underneath Brago's other arm was his book and Kalu's teddy bear.

The demon nodded his head. "Since Kalu can't leave here I figured she would want these," said Brago, gesturing towards the kitten and bear. At that moment, he let go of Yuki and she immediately leapt out of his grasp and quietly trotted over to Kalu's bedside, hopping up on the mattress, soon curling up next to the little girl's feet. Brago turned back around. "Anyway, as for this," he said, now holding up his book to Sherry, handing it to her. "I figured that even though it's useless here, you would want it."

With a smile, Sherry took the book from him and opened it up to a random page; the all too familiar strange language immediately greeted her and she began to skim through the lists of spells that she could read. "Ah... these trigger memories, don't they, Brago?" the woman inquired lightheartedly as she continued to flip through the pages, sometimes even tracing the spells with her finger as she gazed at the unusual writing.

Brago held his breath slightly. Even if he was in the demon world, the spiritual connection between him and his book was still quite there and as active as ever. The unusual sensation swam through his nerves as Sherry delicately traced the spells, her finger delicately sliding across the page. Although he didn't mind it as much anymore (or at least didn't complain about it), it still felt... _weird_. However strange it felt though, he had grown somewhat used to it by that point, considering how _often_ Sherry did this in the past...

"Hn, they do," he agreed after a moment, averting his eyes to his daughter, whom was still sound asleep, not at all disturbed by the commotion going on around her, nor the cat that was cuddled up around her feet.

At that moment, Brago walked over to his child and set down the stuffed bear that he was still carrying by her side. Yuki's ear twitched and she opened an eye halfway to watch the demon place the toy next to the girl and quickly went back to sleep, not at all caring at what he was doing.

Staring down fondly at the girl, Brago sighed as he watched her breathe, her small shoulders gently rising and falling with each breath taken. To the side, Sherry sat up strait and yawned, placing the book down beside her and wandered over to her husband, wrapping her arms around his bare shoulders (he still hadn't gathered up his shirt yet). They stared at Kalu for a good long moment in silence before the woman began another conversation.

"You know that Kalu really is a spitting image of you?" she asked softly, turning her azure eyes to look at the other with a small laugh. He merely shrugged and Sherry grinned. "She is."

The demon rolled his eyes. "Hn... She doesn't look like me _that_ much..."

"Yes, she does."

"No, she looks more like you."

"You only think that because she's a girl."

"So?"

"_So_, your opinion is different. She looks like you and that's that."

"Whatever..."

"Heh, heh..." Sherry laughed as she shook her head slightly, Brago was in denial. She sighed and turned away as she began to think about the past thirteen years, when everything started, and sat down on the bench. Brago strolled over to where she was and took a seat next to her as well, leaning over so his elbows were resting on his knees.

Picking up the black book once again, Sherry stared at the front cover and the silver pattern adorned on the black surface. She had always been fascinated with the book and its secrets; there would never be a time where she would give this book up to someone else for as long as she lived. If it were ever burned, however, Brago wouldn't have to worry about returning to his world, even if he was in the human world. A different spell had been activated and placed on it, and now the spell book was no longer a portal between the human and demon world. But Sherry couldn't possibly allow it to be burned, oh, no! This was something very precious to her... it was her tangible reminder of Brago…

Thirteen years ago, she had never let that book out of her sight, excluding during the final battle when it was at last, for the first and only time, burned. Even when she was asleep she kept it well protected or at least close by at all times. The woman thought back to the days when she became very nervous about the book--to the days before the last and final battle with Zatch Bell and when the king was finally decided.

Those were some of the most stressful times of her life...

_Darkness engulfed the land and stars shimmered across the sky; night had befallen the world and it was fairly close to midnight. In the Belmond mansion, Sherry lay awake in her bed, her eyes wide and alert, filled with anxiety. She couldn't sleep..._

_There on the bed she laid somewhat on her side with her mind focused on only one thing: The black book. It was set out of the way on an end table next to the bed, so it was right beside where she lay. Biting her lip, the woman sighed and continued to ponder, something she had been doing ever since she climbed in the bed. The fight with Zatch was only a couple of days away..._

_They had recently discovered that they were the last two teams left in the entire war, and about a week ago they met up unexpectedly with the other remaining team and agreed to arrange the date for the last fight. The reason why it was a week later was because of a few reasons..._

_One was because of the fact that both of the demons desired to train before the final battle: To become the strongest and defeat all opponents and become king was the initial goal for the whole war. It also seemed fair that they should spend time with their partners before the end finally came. Plus there was the fact to consider that when they did meet up, Zatch had immediately noticed how close Brago and Sherry had become and felt it was completely unnecessary to separate the couple right away. Besides, he too wanted to spend some time with his own friend and bookkeeper before the final battle, so these were the arrangements taken and made._

_Sherry's heart rapidly pounded against her chest as she thought about the upcoming battle. This could very well be one of the last moments she would ever have with Brago... The fight that would determine his world's king was near; he had told her that when he won, he was going to take her with him to his world and become his queen. But what would happen if they lost? This was one of the only times she had ever had any doubts about a battle... In fact, it was probably the only_ _time._

_She stared at the black book even longer and harder, wondering what was going to happen next. If that book ended up in flames, then Brago would disappear from her life forever... The woman tensed up as she thought about the unpleasant subject. No, no, no! Sherry couldn't let that happen! She couldn't, absolutely couldn't! After spending such a long time with Brago, he had become the most precious person to her. And she had promised him, sworn to him, that she would make him the king no matter what happened!_

_Behind her there was a muffled sound and the woman's attention was averted from the book to the demon next to her. Once again, Brago had been sleeping with her that night, trying to spend as much time as he could with her now that the upcoming battle was near. For the past week they had been training hard, preparing themselves for the fight, along with spending much time together which only caused their relationship to grow even more._

_"Mm... Sherry, you still awake?" Brago asked somewhat drowsily as he sat up on the blanketed divan, using his right arm to support himself since his left was draped over the woman's waist. He turned his crimson gaze to the bookkeeper next to him and stared at her with curiosity. "Can't sleep again?"_

_Sherry shook her head slightly, "No..."_

_"Hn..." Staring at the blonde, Brago contemplated on what could possibly be wrong. Sherry hadn't been sleeping very well ever since they encountered Zatch about a week ago, but he couldn't really blame her for her reasoning. Both knew that these could very well be their last moments together, but Sherry was taking it harder than he thought she would._

_His attention was then brought to the direction Sherry was staring at, and he turned to look too. It was his book. So, that's what she had been musing over, she had been thinking over the book again... This had been happening quite often lately; he should have known._

_Brago sat up a little more and gently brushed his hand over the woman's shoulders, leaning over her slightly. "Don't worry about it," he mumbled in her ear, softly kissing the side of her neck. "We'll win... Go back to sleep..."_

_Turning her head around, Sherry stared up into Brago's clouded eyes as a tear trickled down her cheek. In a protesting_ _way, she shook her head. "But Brago..."_

_"Don't worry about it," he repeated, "So it's the last fight, we've fought many other enemies before and that never stopped_ _you from doing your best. We're going to win." Even if his words sounded somewhat encouraging to Sherry, Brago himself felt a little edgy about the upcoming battle. This_ would_ be his last moments with Sherry if he lost... And this was something he couldn't afford; he just had to win, just had to! He was going to win! He would accomplish his lifelong dream! The only obstacle was Sherry's emotions... They would most likely keep her from doing her best, as they made her even more overemotional than she already was. He didn't want that. Yet, unfortunately, he felt his own thoughts wavering slightly as well..._

_For a second, Sherry shifted her gaze from her partner before she returned it, an uneasy look still clearly seen in her eyes. "Alright, Brago..." she said quietly and received a smirk from the other before he closed his eyes and laid back down. Sherry rolled over as she turned around, now having her back facing the book so she wouldn't have to look at it, and curled up next to Brago. The demon held the woman close and they both soon fell asleep._

Those were really some stressful times... The memories of that night were still quite vivid within the woman's memory and she remembered it all as if it were yesterday, along with a few other similar occasions. She still wished that she could have made Brago the king like she promised, yet unfortunately that wasn't what happened in the end. Even to that day, Sherry felt bad about it...

When the book was burned, she remembered feeling like her entire world was completely shattered and crashing down on her. Brago would have to leave her and she downright failed to complete her promise to him. Luckily, Zatch wanted to become a benevolent king, so he let him stay with her... And since the Battle for King lasted about 3 years, she was at the age of 19 when it was over, so Kalu was born 5 years later... One of the happiest days of her life...

With a heavy sigh, the woman leaned her back against the wall behind her and Brago turned his gaze to look upon her. "Something on your mind?" he asked.

"Oh... just thinking... that's all."

"Hn," Brago stared over in Kalu's direction for just a little while longer as they both sat in silence. Kalu was still sleeping quite soundly and had grabbed onto her teddy in her sleep, thus removing some of the covers a little bit from her face. Yuki was still resting by her side and had also changed her position to lying on her back with her paws somewhat in the air.

Returning to her thoughts, Sherry continued to think on her past. After Zatch said that Brago could stay in the human world with her, she had felt so very relieved. She could finally relax again, but it was also around this time when she began to lose contact with Koko... Now it had been years since she last talked to her friend, but at least she knew that she was going to college at the time. Before they stopped talking, there had been past conversations about her school, and she was actually at the time doing quite well with it.

However, everything from the past was now over. The only thing that Sherry was concerned about at the present moment was the future--the past had been completed and now it was time to move on. All of the bad memories would forever linger, yes, but that was the same for the good ones too. There was always hope for the future, and Sherry had plenty of that.

Out with the old, in with the new...

-o-o-o-o-o-

Now currently later in the afternoon, the Belmond family stood in the throne room of the king's castle. Kalu held onto her teddy tightly in her left hand while she gripped her mother's in her right, staring at the ground silently. There was no way she was enjoying this situation... not one bit. She still felt immensely tired too, and hardly had the strength to stand, but her mother was at her side and so was her father. Yuki was also sitting next to her on the ground, curled up beneath her feet again.

Staring down at her daughter with a look of concern, Sherry gripped onto the small one's hand tightly and then averted her gaze to her husband. Brago stood there next to her, staring at the king before them. The woman redirected her gaze to look upon the king as well, still holding her daughter's hand.

Zatch wasn't looking too pleased about the situation himself. His usual perky, happy-go-lucky mood was nowhere to be seen. Instead, a solemn look was seen on his features, and his shining amber eyes glistened with emotion. He still felt really bad about Kalu's condition...

"So... what are you planning on doing?" questioned Zatch as he stared up at the two parents. "It's not exactly a good idea to leave here now that Kalu is in the condition she's in, so what will you do?" Hearing these words, Kalu's expression saddened and she continued to stare at the ground, her dark hair shielding her watery eyes.

"We were thinking on staying here since we don't really have much of a choice," answered Brago without hesitation as he stared firmly at the king. "No way in hell are we leaving Kalu by herself. Sherry is going to stay here too; I don't care what you say."

With a nod of his head, Zatch continued. "Alright... Is there anything from the human world that you think you may need?" he asked. "I need to know because I'm temporarily closing down the portal between the two worlds. This way it'll be easier to maintain and keep track of the portal. But if you ever need to go there for anything I can always open it up again, but it that could take a while, I'm not too sure."

"There may be a couple of things," said Sherry as she thought to herself of what was still in the other world that would be useful. They had never exactly moved back to the mansion, even though it had finally been all fixed up from when Zophise completely destroyed it. She would have to go back there and check for anything that she would want. "When would be a good time to go and pick them up?"

"Hmm... I would say sometime tomorrow," responded the king with a slight shrug. "But I think it would be better to find a place to stay first and know where to put your belongings when you finally retrieve them. Brago, what do you plan to do about that?" inquired Zatch, now turning to the darker demon in front of him.

"Not too far off is an old abandoned cabin that used to belong to my family before I left it," said Brago, eyeing Sherry before he continued. "It's not very close to any nearby villages, it's always been like that, so we won't have to worry too much on other demons coming in to try and bother us. I'm positive Zophise spread rumors about me to more than just our past opponents, the ones that tried to attack us."

Sherry turned to look at Brago. "You think?"

Brago nodded his head. "Either that or they spread the rumors among themselves without his help. I don't trust them."

Now it was Zatch who spoke next: "Alright, I'll also talk to my own friends and tell them to keep an eye out for anything or anyone suspicious that could do such a thing," said the king. "They'll be sure to tell me if they do spot something and then I'll inform you about it as soon as I can." While he said this, Zatch Bell eyed Kalu curiously. An unhappy expression was seen on the child's face and he tilted his head to the side. "What's wrong, Kalu?"

She didn't answer; instead she just shook her head, keeping her gaze away from the king. Both Brago and Sherry looked down inquiringly at their daughter but said nothing. They merely watched the scene go on with the two.

"Something's bothering you," said Zatch but Kalu insistently shook her head.

"I'm OK," she said.

The king sighed as he glanced to the hybrid's parents quickly before he continued to talk with the child. "You know, Kalu, I can always introduce you to some of my friends! I'm sure you would get along with them really well," he said somewhat enthusiastically, trying to get the girl to cheer up. Heck, he was trying to get himself to cheer up as well! Such strange tactics. "There's Ponygon who helped me bring you here the other day, you might remember him. And then there's Tia, she's a really good friend of mine, and Kolulu, she's nice, and Kanchome, who..." Blinking, Zatch stared at Kalu bemusedly. "Wouldn't you like to meet them?"

Kalu still said nothing; she didn't even turn to look at Zatch as she stared at the ground with a morose expression, she even backed up just a little behind her mother, who stared at her with a blank look. Emitting a sad sigh, the king turned to look back up to Sherry and Brago.

"Well, I'll let you two get a move on, the sooner the better, I guess." Once again, he turned to Kalu before he said anything else to her parents. "You know what always cheers me up? Eating lots of yellowtail! So make sure to do that, OK, Kalu?" he said with an optimistic smile. On Kalu's face there was just a faint grin, but she hid herself behind her mother's pink dress so no one could see. Oh, how could she resist smiling to Zatch's perkiness? With a last nod, the king turned to look back up to the two parents. "Bye."

Nodding their heads as well, the two turned around and began to head off. Kalu hesitated for a moment, glancing down at her kitten as she grasped her teddy a little bit tighter. She looked up to Zatch quickly before she heard her mother calling her. That was when she realized that Sherry had let go of her hand.

"Kalu, come on," called Sherry, now standing in the doorway of the room next to Brago as they both watched the scene.

Turning her head around, the little girl glanced at her parents and then turned to look upon Zatch one last time before she left. She walked up very slowly to the king, almost limping since she was still rather weak, before she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, giving him a quick, friendly hug. "Thank you, Zatch..."

A small smile formed upon Zatch's lips as Kalu let go. He was glad to see she was slowly recovering, even if she was still very upset and that it was hard to notice, but he knew Kalu was slowly, but surely, returning back to her old self. "Go on, I'll visit you sometime tomorrow, OK?"

With a tiny smile and a nod of her head, Kalu turned around and slowly began to walk back to her parents' side, her kitten following close behind. It took a minute but she finally reached the two and she stopped, staring up at her parents. She tenderly raised both of her arms and grabbed her parents' hands.

In return they smiled and then headed out of the room: Sherry to the right, Brago to the left, and Kalu in the middle, grasping onto her mother and father's hands. Her pet kitten was following too, trotting along next to her.

The doors to the room then closed, leaving behind King Zatch Bell as he watched the family make their exit. They left the throne room and then soon the entire castle as the family walked beyond the grounds. Kalu blinked, taking in the bright sunlight that beat against her face. She squinted her eyes, trying to block the sun from her now obscure view. The sun was bright and her vision became blurry, but she continued on as she adjusted to the light.

Sherry smiled slightly as she looked down at her daughter. Here soon the family would be back to normal again, albeit it was in the demon world, yes, but she knew things would turn out for the better sooner or later. At least Kalu was making some progress; she hadn't cried too much that day, which was a good sign.

Quickly glancing at her husband, Sherry grinned a little and he returned the gaze with a small smirk. She was glad to have her family, even if she was upset about having to fight in the demon battles in the past, there was no way could she feel that way now. No way at all.

Because if it weren't for the battles, she would never have met Brago, and if it weren't for him, she would be dead. Kalu wouldn't be there, standing next to her, walking along with them as she held their hands. Brago would have never given her Kalu.

Her gift from the dark...

Again, she smiled and looked upon her daughter. Yes, all the bad times were gone and hope was in the future. True, there would be complications ahead, but that was the way life was, however, she knew most of the main problems were gone. And although no one was sure of what to do with Kalu's other personality, the one Zophise gave her, there was still hope ahead.

As long as there was hope, good fortune would come...

And she had hope.

**

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**

_A/N: I hope that wasn't too bad at the end... RnR! There's still one more chapter left (the epilogue), so keep your eyes open for that! I'll update it on June 15. Bye bye!_


	37. Epilogue

_Believe it or not, i'm still in school. I get out the 30th of June. (I FINISHED EOGs TODAY! YEAH! Oh, but wait, there's that huge social studies test next week and lots of homework... Damn!)_

_And i really wanna make an AMV... I even have one all planned out with the song n' everything... . But i had a scratched episode (ep. 88) of KnGB that i sent back, so i only got to see 'bout 2/3s of it, and it STILL hasn't returned after WEEKS of waiting, so i can't make the stupid AMV... Gr. T.T_

_N' now i'm depressed... This is the last chapter of my favorite story i've worked on. You know this was one of my first stories ever? Well, anywho, anyone i've told that i'd update this on the 1st of June, i completely messed up, i meant it to be the 15th, so that's why i'm updating it today._

_Hope the epilogue's alright... I personally don't care for it TOO much... but that's just me. You won't BELIEVE how many time's i've gone back and edited it over n' over again!_

_Anywho, enjoy the chapter! (T__his is actually quite a long epilogue if you hadn't noticed already. Eh. I just had a lot of stuff to put in it, that's all...)_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Konjiki no Gash Bell and i never will, otherwise i'd be rich and Kalu would be a real character, not a fancharacter. And speaking of which, Kalu is the only one in this here lil' story that i own that i actually care about. But you should know the deal by now, right?_

* * *

**A Gift from the Dark**

**Epilogue**

A shriek of laughter echoed throughout the woods of the demon world and a moment later there was another. To the side, Sherry Belmond stood with a smile, standing by the doorway to the cabin that she now called home, watching the scene in front of her. Her azure gaze was focused on two darker figures across the yard; the smaller of the two was riding on top of the other's shoulders, gleefully laughing as her father carried her up to their home. Kalu held onto Brago just a bit tighter when she waved to her mother, poking over her father's head to look in Sherry's direction.

Brago lightly smirked as he walked over to the blonde, gently clutching onto his daughter's tiny legs that dangled past his shoulders. The woman by the cabin smiled even wider as the demon stepped up to where she was and set Kalu down onto the ground.

"We're back," said Brago as he watched Kalu run up to her mother and giver her a quick hug before turning around and running off to do something else.

"Well, how did it go?" Sherry inquired as she strolled up to her husband, giving him a quick kiss on the lips before he answered.

"She's made some improvements," started Brago as he turned around to sit on the bench by the cabin door, Sherry mimicking his actions. "But I still think she needs more training. It's going to be a while before she finally gains some control over her personality."

"Ah, I see."

It had been exactly one month ago when the family arrived into the demon world, when the whole affair with Zophise had ended. Now they all permanently lived there because of Kalu's condition, and in the short amount of time that they had spent within their new home, there had been some drastic and immediate changes.

First off, even though she learned to cope with the new world, Kalu still claimed to dislike it and would avoid any conversations that dealt with her father's world. However, Sherry had her doubts about her daughter's opinion, she herself didn't mind it too much, but from studying Kalu's behavior, she had her suspicions up.

Kalu was also still very upset at the fact that she could never return to Earth again, whether she liked her new home or not, that didn't matter, but she learned to accept and cope with this fact in her own way. But she would always think back to her old friend, Emma, whom had been killed by Zophise. Even if he was long dead, the child utterly despised him for killing her best friend. Kalu never exactly learned that Brago had killed Zophise; she had merely been told that he wouldn't be bothering her ever again.

At one point, Brago had even declared that there was a miniature Sherry running amok, one that also desired revenge on a certain being. With that said out loud, Sherry had glared at Brago and set out a disclaimer that his proclamation was anything but true. Kalu merely stared at her parents bemusedly, undoubtedly not understanding the sarcastic joke that had been made, but she laughed all the same when her parents began to bicker.

"So tell me, when are you planning on training her next?" inquired Sherry, resting her back against the bench as she watched Kalu play with her pet kitten in the distance. "Sometime tomorrow, I assume?"

The other nodded. "Same time as usual. Why bother asking?"

"Just wanted to make sure," said Sherry with a light shrug. Brago smirked as he turned his attention back to his daughter, whom was now running around with her pet kitten chasing her; she had a look of pure joy on her face and was laughing. "Well then, did Zatch make an appearance?"

Turning around to look at the blonde, Brago gave a hesitant pause. "…He did… But he didn't stay long, said he had business to attend to, though Kalu was still thrilled to see him. Tch, as if she _doesn't_ see him every other day…"

"Well… I know that you don't really like them being friends, but try to think of it in a positive way, Brago," said Sherry in a somewhat defensive tone. "I may not be too keen on the idea either, but consider the fact that Kalu only had one other friend in the past, and I've been told she's dead now, so I believe it's a good thing she has another one again, even if it is Zatch Bell."

"Hn, whatever," With a roll of his eye, the darker being dropped the subject and continued to watch Kalu as she climbed up a tree, one of her favorite things to do. It was true, however, Kalu _had_ become quite good friends with the king. A lot of times Zatch would come to visit her while she trained, as he had done in the past, or he would do so while she was outside of her new home, playing. It was a good thing that Kalu had long ago forgiven him for the incident with Zophise and said she didn't believe it was his fault. This only increased their friendship, seeing as that Kalu was not angry with Zatch. The king was relieved for that.

And only a few days after the family had officially moved into the demon world, Kalu had only unleashed her other personality once. It had happened when she became rather irritated during a conversation with Brago about the new world, thus her angry side, now viewed as a split personality, was unleashed once again. Seeing this, Brago decided that it was for the better to train her once again, this time he would instruct her how to control this new power of her so she could overcome the emotions just a little easier and grow to be stronger.

During a discussion about Kalu's training, Sherry had told Brago that he was not to teach her how to entirely block out her emotions, just as he had done to himself in the past. There was no need to have Kalu become cold hearted and or devoid of feeling, Sherry didn't want that, as she constantly reminded Brago that it would be difficult to teach the child emotions all over again. The demon merely rolled his eyes at her and reassured the woman that he would not do anything bad, but still wished to train her. Besides, he had previously been training her in the past, so there would be no harm in continuing it, right?

And Sherry had to admit it, there had been improvement, anyone could say that. Kalu had not become angry ever since, or at least wasn't in any situation where she had to be. It had become quite evident that the spell Zatch had placed on her to save her did not completely take away the persona, much to Sherry and Brago's disappointment. Instead, it merely prevented it from killing her. However, it still allowed the personality to emerge whenever the hybrid became angry or irritated, as it had previously done in the past. Neither Sherry nor Brago were particularly fond of this fact, but they promptly came to the conclusion that there was nothing they could do about it. They could, however, teach Kalu how to not become _too_ overemotional, thus preventing the personality from arising.

So, once again, Kalu and Brago had returned from training that day. Usually they would practice what was needed to be done somewhere away from the cabin, but close enough so that Brago could quickly come to aid Sherry if she was in any sort of trouble or needed help. And as said before, on quite a few occasions, Zatch would come to visit Kalu whether she was in training or at home. And every time he came, the child was overjoyed.

Eventually Zatch Bell managed to introduce Kalu to all of his friends that he had met in the past. He didn't bring them all at once, no, but he gradually managed to get her to meet them all. At first Kalu was quite shy and afraid to meet some of them, but as time went by she befriended them all and became quite well known in the little group of friends she had made and was actually quite accepted.

And Kalu felt… secure.

Brago sighed as he watched the child run up to where he and Sherry were after a while more of playing with her pet kitten. Yuki was in the hybrid's arms and purring loudly as the girl laughed, stopping when she was standing in front of her parents. "Mamma, I'm thirsty, can I have a drink?"

"Of course, come on," said Sherry, standing up. The woman redirected her path to the cabin and walked in, both Brago and Kalu followed her and entered their home.

Inside, it was rather neat and well organized. Sherry usually kept things somewhat in order and clean since this was what she was used to back in the human world in her mansion; she absolutely refused to give up the habit of keeping her home tidy. Brago didn't really care much on what the place looked like and wouldn't think twice about throwing something on the ground, most likely just leaving it there for hours, _days_, until someone finally picked it up. But that usually wasn't the case, Sherry would most likely find something that was off and would fix it sooner or later.

A few furnishings had even been brought from their old mansion in the human world to the cabin that they now lived in, merely because of the fact that when they _did_ arrive at the old abandoned cottage, there was absolutely nothing there. For the few furnishings that were there, they were all beaten up and toppled over onto the ground. So it was because of this fact that Sherry insisted that some things were brought from their old home. Everything else that was taken over was minor, particularly things such as photos and an extra pair of clothes or two for her and Kalu. Of course Brago went with what he already had.

Sherry had also taken the liberty to let all of her staff back in the human world that worked at her mansion go; she paid them a decent amount of money and all of them left to pursue a different job. She even took some extra money back to the demon world, only because of the fact that if she were to ever return to get something, the money might come in handy, such as getting something important for Kalu that might help her teach her. Though it was not much and very unlikely that she would ever need to go back, it was better safe than sorry.

Walking over to where she kept a fresh supply of water, Sherry picked up a glass that she had also brought and filled it with the tasteless liquid, afterwards handing it to Kalu whom took it with a smile after thanking the blonde and wandered off across the room. Kalu stopped and sat on the floor near where Brago laid down on a couch, arms placed behind his head with his feet propped up on the arm of the sofa. Sherry soon joined the two, moving Brago's feet out of the way so she could sit down. The darker being gave her a look before he moved his feet back to where they previously were, now instead with Sherry being in the way, so they were now somewhat in the woman's lap. Sherry smirked before redirecting her attention to Kalu.

"So, Kalu, did you learn anything new today?" inquired Sherry, now trying to start a conversation as she glanced down at her daughter as she took a sip from her glass.

Nodding, Kalu spoke with a muffled voice, the glass still up to her face. "Daddy showed me some other tricks I never knew before. After that we did some other stuff and he helped me practice the spells, like the Gigigray—"

"—_Giganoreis_," corrected Brago with a slight groan as he put his hand over his eyes in exasperation. "Get the name right." Kalu turned to look up at him with a blank expression as she put her finger to her mouth in a questioning manner.

"Didn't I say that?"

"No…"

Sherry let out a gentle laugh as she shook her head, all too well remembering the last time this had happened. She watched as Brago rolled his eyes, lightly rubbing them with his hand and sighed before dropping his hand back to his side.

"Oh…" Kalu glanced at the ground before she shrugged and took another sip of her drink as Yuki curled up next to her on the ground, deciding that it was time to take another catnap. The child smiled and began to pet her purring kitten.

Another thing that Sherry had done was to have Kalu home schooled again, mainly because of the fact that she did not want Kalu going to a demon school; she felt that she didn't need this. Brago did not like her proposal, however, not one bit. He told her that if their daughter were to become stronger then she would have to be around those that were more powerful than her, this way she could learn to cope with them and become stronger herself as well.

But that was just it, Sherry did not want this, it was completely unnecessary to have their daughter endangered with other demons like that. All right, so Sherry could defend herself, but… Kalu? That was something she had a hard time doing, plus the child despised fighting, so why bother putting her in an environment where this could possibly happen? Besides, the woman felt there was no need for Kalu to learn how to fight in that type of school, Brago could always teach her how to defend herself, yes, but she wanted Kalu to learn what she would in a human school. So this was what was to happen.

Brago literally had no other choice in the matter after the discussion; Kalu would be home schooled again, this time being instructed by Sherry, while he taught her how to control and defend herself. That was simple enough, so these were the actions taken and no one seemed to disapprove or complain about it, at least not much anyway. There were still a few quarrels, but those were minor. However, if Kalu were to say that she did want to go to a demon school, they would allow her to go, but so far she had not requested it nor given any signs of asking, so she would not be taken to one.

Even though Kalu wouldn't meet the other children in the schools, she still had plenty of other friends that would pay her visits, especially Zatch. And she didn't just befriend the demons that he had fought with during the past war—she also met a couple of the 1,000-year-old demons that her parents even had to compete against for the throne during the fights with Zophise. Such characters she met were known as Pamun and Reira.

Her relationship with the others was fairly good, though the only one she didn't get along with as well as the others was a demon by the name of Patie, but that was merely because she obsessed over the king to much to really talk about anything else, though Zatch said she wasn't nearly as bad as she used to be, even if she still scared the living daylights out of him. Then there was Byonko, the frog that Patie hung out with a lot. Kalu found him rather odd and didn't talk much with him.

At one point, Kalu even learned of one other demon that Zatch had let stay behind in the human world, known as Wonrei. Wonrei was another demon, like her father, whom had fallen in love with his bookkeeper, so after the war he was also allowed to stay behind. Kalu had never met him though, as he was still with his bookkeeper and in a completely different country from where she had been.

Some of Zatch's other friends, like a gentle demon named Kolulu, were fairly nice to her and she felt glad that there were others besides Zatch who treated her kindly. One of Zatch's closest friends, Tio, even managed to somewhat control her temper around Kalu, though if Zatch decided to do anything stupid she would still strangle him. Kanchome was still a little selfish, even around Kalu, but he was still kind. The hybrid also enjoyed playing with Ponygon, but of course couldn't understand a word he said. There were others that the Demon King had made friends with that she had befriended too…

Sherry let out a long sigh as she leaned her back against the couch, closing her eyes. In such a short amount of time, so many evens had happened. Kalu was gradually getting used to the new world, and herself, as Sherry noticed. In a way, Kalu had even learned to accept who she was and of her heritage—of the demonic attributes that had been passed down to her by Brago, whom was a full-fledged demon. What's more was that the woman also almost wanted to believe that Kalu, well, actually enjoyed the new world, even though there was a disclaimer by the child stating otherwise. But the blonde never voiced her opinions to Kalu about this situation; this was just her blunt opinion. Brago even had his own thoughts of his daughter's reaction, too, but he kept that to himself.

And at this, Sherry would smile. At least she _was_ happy at the moment… right?

But of course, before everything started, before Kalu was even born, Sherry, in the past, had to consider the good and bad results of having offspring with a demon, not that she herself though it was a horrible thing, oh, no. After all, Kalu was a crossbreed—a hybrid, so of course something would eventually spring up in the future. But did that necessarily have to include past enemies that had a thirst for revenge?

Although with the bad there came the good, the woman had to remind herself, Koko had even always told her that when they still talked to another. Kalu was her daughter, and she and Brago were the two most precious things in her entire life. How could she possibly live without them?

Looking up from where he laid, Brago gazed over in Sherry's direction and called out her name, causing the woman to sit up and stare at him in curiosity. "Something on your mind?"

"Just thinking, that's all," Sherry replied with a smile and then noticed that Kalu was too staring up at her with her purple eyes. When her mother looked down at her the child averted her gaze and went back to petting her kitten, Sherry sighed. It was always interesting to see how Kalu turned out. Her eyes were purple, ironically a mix between her blue eyes and Brago's crimson. Certainly interesting all right. She was even the spitting image of Brago, literally, with the pale skin, marked arms and clouded eyes as well with the blue-black hair…

With the smile still lingering on her face, Sherry closed her eyes once more and began to muse over the events that could possibly happen in the future. What would await Kalu or what she would end up being like when she was older, or how long would it take to unlock all of the spells Brago had? From the current evidence she had inherited them all, or so it was assumed, so it only had to be a matter of time. Her thoughts drifted to when certain spells like the Baberuga Gurabidon would be unlocked… Best not think about that. Kalu hadn't discovered any new spells since she attacked the students at her old school on that one fateful day… Speaking of which, they never exactly went back to the police in the human world to talk like she had promised. Oh, well, they could live without knowing, it was for the best, anyway.

Though that wasn't what was important. What mattered now was that Sherry and Brago raised Kalu as best as they could, teaching her everything that they knew; the values of life, the things to cherish, the good and bad, everything and anything they could think of.

Kalu did not need to inherit the traits of past Belmond family members and go through antagonizing lessons that Sherry had to deal with in her own childhood. Kalu could live to be whatever she wished, and as for now, Sherry only desired for her to remain how she was: Happy. No longer did the child look as sad as she had many months ago, and that was good, she was no longer crying from the heart.

She wanted her to remain who she was, the daughter of the demon of the black book, Brago Belmond, and herself, his past human bookkeeper, Sherry Belmond. She hoped that she would remain as a child and enjoy life for as long as possible.

But, as Sherry viewed it, Kalu would always be one special thing in particular, the one thing that was so precious to her, no matter what happened. And she was grateful for her to be who she was, Sherry was quite proud of her daughter, and she knew that Brago was too. Kalu was one of a kind, hers and Brago's child, theirs.

Who she was, was quite special indeed.

Kalu Belmond.

A gift from the dark.

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_The... The... The last chapter... (sniff) T.T_

_ANYWHO, I really thank all of you for reading this! It made it all the more fun to write! (and i've had a lot of fun with that, too, haha, even if i got stuck on a few chapters . )_

_And i thought i'd give y'all a lil' treat at the end of this, so here's **16 random facts** for this story. But not all of it is 100 percent accurate. Reason why is because i had put a date in this story somewhere and i used a calandar that i had made earlier this year and started figuring out the dates n' stuff for certain days by going through this story and seeing how much time passed and marking down on the calandar i made, and all the while i did so, i kept track of certain things. But i goofed up on something somwhere within that so something may/may not becorrect, but it's at least pretty close to it anyway. Anywho, here's the facts, some you may have already known, some you may have not: _

(Remember this only applies to my story. Some, like age, may/may not be true)

_**O**. Brago is about 27 in this story  
**O**. Sherry is about 29 in this story  
**O**. Zatch is about 19 in this story  
**O.** Brago was 17 when the Battle for King ended (14 when it started)  
**O.** Sherry was 19 when the Battle for King ended (16 when it started)  
**O.** Zatch was 9 when the Battle for King ended (6 when it started)  
**O.** The Battle for King lasted 3 years  
**O.** Kalu's birthday is August 21  
**O.** Brago was 22 when Kalu was born  
**O.** Sherry was 24 when Kalu was born  
**O.** Zatch was 14 when Kalu was born__  
**O. **Kalu inherited ALL of Brago's spells (if you didn't know this, you really weren't paying attention to the story, were you?)  
**O.** This could be an incy wincy bit off, but the timeline, excluding the prologue, lasted about 120 days  
**O.** For the timeline, the story started Sunday, August 13  
**O.** For the timeline, the date for the epilogue is Sunday, December 10  
**O.** Kalu was born 9 years after the Battle for King started (not ended, started), but the story takes place 13 years after. She was born 5 years after it ended._

_Oh, and exactly one year ago i published this story, heehee! XD (i purposely updated this chapter on this date if you hadn't already noticed)_

_**Hey**, anyone that's joined on FFnet notice that survey thingy that appeared about a week ago? I hope that FFnet will eventually allow fanart, 'cause then i could post my two pictures (yes, i have two now, i kept forgetting to say that in the story) that i've drawn of Kalu for all who haven't seen it can see! SO... (crossees fingers) Yeah, and if you would like me to email you the two pics, just ask me, and i may send it, but if you don't want to, that's perfectly fine, i can completely understand._

_Alright, enough of my rambling. What i want to say is that i've really appreciated everyone's reviews. That really helped me in writing this fun story. n.n Thanks, y'all! And now i go to obsessively writing Behind These Azure Eyes, which i will eventually post. For info on that just go to my profile._

_Kalu's my muse now, heehee... She may/may not appear in reviews... So expect to see her again, just in case. n.n'_

_And lookie, this is the longest story on this section so far..._

_Thanks, y'all! BYE!_


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